


Years

by ChillaxKass



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: F/M, Just remember my writing style improves over the course of the story, Kasamatsu is a beautiful man, Kasamatsu is overprotective and shy, Sadly, Slow Burn, but Kasamatsu comes along lol, but i don't wanna change it since i wrote it so long ago, i always write slow burns, reader is a former member of the Generation of Miracles, so just wait until Kise shows up, that's when it gets good, the first chapter isn't as good as the rest, you’re a strong woman who doesn’t need a man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2020-09-02 07:44:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 60,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20272411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillaxKass/pseuds/ChillaxKass
Summary: Freshman year is hard for everyone, but (f/n) is moving back to Japan after leaving all of her friends behind. Seirin High School seemed like the perfect match for her, and, when she gets there, she knows her gut feeling was right yet again.





	1. Chapter 1

The morning air was strong, yet it complemented the heat of the sun like no other. Flashing in the sunlight, the leaves of the trees waved hello to any who would spare a glance. The atmosphere of the fresh day was positive, electrified by traveling people and the sights only Japan had to offer. 

With an excited smile and sigh, a (h/c) girl trekked down the sidewalks she had not seen for years. She had lived abroad for the last year and a half, mainly in the antithesis to Japan, America. She had left many friends behind to follow her family back home, for her dear grandmother was very ill at the time. Although her heart sank at the prospect of having to stand before those she had left behind, she was proud of her strength and who she had become and could not be more excited to reach her destination. 

Her destination was none other than Seirin, the young school less than a few blocks from her new apartment. She had kept up with basketball news while she was away and was well aware that the fresh basketball club had carried itself far past others’ expectations. She was excited to see the team for herself. 

Once at the school, she was met with a gaggle of students, all wishing to have new members for their clubs. With her head down, she shuffled past the loud club members, searching for only one club in particular. In a flash, she saw a flier land at her feet. 

‘Join the Seirin basketball club!’

With curved lips, she bent over to grasp the paper, being careful to hold her skirt down. Once upright again, she looked around at all the commotion. Students were flaring about, screaming for members to head their way. Literary club, baseball club, and more were beckoning every passerby. It was almost overwhelming. 

Sighing, the girl moved to the edge of the path, pulling a pencil from her bag. A fire built in the pit of her stomach as she filled out the form. She was so close to her passion that she couldn’t wait any longer. After she signed her name, she moved her hair out of her eyes and placed her pencil behind her ear. The basketball club seemed to be up ahead, so she continued through the riled up students. Soon, her eyes fell on her prospective teammates who were chatting with a very large redhead. They seemed busy, so she slipped by and silently placed her form on the table. No one noticed her. 

She was used to that honestly. 

* * *

After Kagami Taiga left their station, the Seirin basketball club was shell shocked. Could he really be a first year? It seemed so unreal. 

“Hey, you forgot some papers.”

Riko looked down to find two papers in the captain’s hands. On one was the name Kuroko Tetsuya, and on the other was (l/n) (f/n). 

“Teikou basketball club?!!!” 

“What?!”

Everyone looked at their coach because of the famous name. “Both of these people have Teikou listed as their middle school, but I don’t recognize their names.”

“If they’re first years, doesn’t that mean they’re with the Generation of Miracles?”

“Wahhhhh! Why did I forget the faces of such golden eggs?!”

“Seriously, what’s with the freshmen this year?”

* * *

Later on in the day, tryouts for the team began. In the pristine and basically new gym, the freshmen were lined up in front of their upperclassmen, the coach specifically eyeing them down. They were definitely surprised when they learned Riko was the coach. 

“Take off your shirts!” the brunette shouted towards the prospective athletes. With apprehension, they complied. Each peeled off their plain white shirts, revealing the skin underneath. 

Unsurprisingly, they were very uncomfortable, but they soon learned the method to Riko’s madness. Due to her father’s line of work, she had grown up learning the ins and outs of the human body and could now see a person’s strengths just from their build. 

However, when Kagami fell into view, she did a massive double take. His stats were out of control, and his raw potential was almost terrifying. 

“Coach! How long are you gonna day dream?”

“Sorry!”

“You saw everyone, right? He was the last?”

Shocked, Riko rechecked her list. The two Teikou graduates seemed to be absent. 

“Kuroko Tetsuya? (l/n) (f/n)?”

“Excuse me…. I am Kuroko.”

With that, Riko jumped and let a shriek past her lips. The bluenette seemed to have manifested right before her eyes. No one else had noticed him, either. 

“Since when were you here?!”

“I’ve been here since the beginning.”

Everyone’s eyes surveyed the new recruit. His blue eyes were blank as ever, and his build was too frail for a Miracle. 

“You’re not really from the Generation of Miracles, are you?”

“He can’t have been a starter.”

Kuroko was unfazed, almost confused really. “I have played in matches before.”

“Really?!”

After he had taken off his shirt, Riko was perplexed. His stats were much too weak to belong to a Miracle. With a look of interest on her face, the coach thought, “Just what are you hiding?”

Just as Kuroko began redressing, the door to the gym opened with force, a gust of wind hitting everyone. They were glad they had their shirts on again. 

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” yelled the intruder as she adjusted her shirt and threw down her sports bag. She stretched her arms as she jogged across the floor, her soft blue and white basketball shoes almost silent as they hit the wood. 

“Who is she?”

“Does she think this is a girls’ team?!”

She glared at whoever made that remark before addressing Riko, bowing in apology. “I was held up by a teacher. I hope I can still try out!”

Riko felt even more confused by the girl’s presence, but wasn’t surprised due to how her day had been going. “Are you (l/n) (f/n)?”

(f/n) smiled at the fact that they had gotten her form, saying, “Yep, that’s me. I hope it’s not too surprising that I’m a girl.” She laughed. 

With that, Kuroko came out of hiding again. “(f/n)-chan? You’ve returned?”

(f/n)’s eyes widened at the sound of his voice. Her earlier anxiety at the thought of seeing old friends returned, and she turned with slow breath. “Tetsuya? I can’t believe we chose the same school!” Anxiety dissipating, she threw her arms around the man. Tears threatened to form at the reunion, but she held them in. 

“I can.” 

She paused before laughing at his response. “You really didn’t change.”

“I am taller.”

Everyone around was confused by the conversation, especially Hyuuga, who decided to speak up. 

“So you went to Teikou as well?” he questioned. 

Kuroko decided to answer for his friend. “She played in games as well.”

“WHAT?!”

“I think my brain is gonna explode.”

(f/n) was guffawing at this point. It was always amusing when the news that she played basketball at Teikou Middle School was broken. It seemed as if everyone became broken as well.

“Yeah, I even started in some games.” A soft smile graced her lips at the nostalgia.

“How were you able to play in a boys’ club?” asked Koganei, his eyebrows furrowed. 

Swaying left to right on her feet, (f/n) noticed the slight tinge of pain in her knees, but refused to truly acknowledge it. As everyone waited for her answer, she took in the scent of the air; it still carried the smell of a newly erected building, and she realized that this was the perfect place to begin her career again. 

“Well, I fought pretty hard for it honestly. I pestered our captain,” she grinned at the thought of him, “and the coach for a while, and they always denied me. The coach even went as far as to wave the rules right in my face, and one day I just grabbed them from him and left. I read them all the way through multiple times and realized there wasn’t an actual rule that said a girl couldn’t join a basketball club full of men. So I went back to the captain, and he laughed and let me try out with him first. Said I might embarrass myself in front of the coach.” 

Here, she laughed and looked up at Kuroko, who seemed amused as well. Everyone was surprised that no rule existed and was excited to hear more. Riko especially, as she respected the courage (f/n) had to offer. She definitely wouldn’t deny her if she was good enough to join the team. 

“So we played one on one, and I’m sure he was planning on going easy on me. I beat him by one point, mainly because he wasn’t expecting me to be any good.” Everyone had a look of awe on their faces, and (f/n) laughed at the memory. “I know now that I shouldn’t have beaten him. It was the circumstance. He wasn’t expecting it, and he had yet to hit his prime completely. Now, I honestly wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”

At her pause, Izuki spoke. “Why haven’t we heard of you?”

She stared at him for a millisecond, pondering her response. “Have you heard of Tetsuya?” Everyone shook their heads. She was about to speak again, but Riko beat her to it.

“I had always thought they were rumors.” She looked at her peers. “I had heard of a phantom sixth man and a girl of unparalleled skill, but no one knew their names or faces.”

Kuroko was blank as ever, but (f/n) was amused. “Yeah, when Tetsuya got interviewed, they would always forget to put his part in the final drafts. When I got interviewed, they’d tell them to throw mine out altogether.”

Screams echoed through the gym. “Why?!”

(f/n) shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. “Coach did everything he could to prevent me from being known. They even put me on the roster under the name of this guy who kinda looked like me. Also, I left for America halfway through our second year so it was even easier to forget me.”

After a little more conversation, Riko dismissed the prospective recruits with a promise of actual practice the next day. (f/n) and Kuroko made their way out the door together, finding themselves venturing in the same direction. A serene silence fell around them, their footsteps in sync. It reminded the girl of old times, and she realized she really was glad that Kuroko was the one to come with her. He was always so easy to talk to and so supportive, and they had created a bond due to their shared status. It had always seemed they didn’t belong, always forgotten.

“I see you kept the shoes.”

Staring down at their feet, she realized that Kuroko’s feet matched her own, their old Teikou colors a reminder of how far they had traveled from the past.

“Yeah, I’d never give up on my lucky shoes!” (f/n) grinned at her teammate, eyes just as happy as Kuroko had remembered. He felt that same happiness in his heart; he had honestly thought he would never see the girl again. “Hey, do you still like the vanilla shakes from this place?” Kuroko looked up, seeing the same restaurant they and their former teammates had frequented. 

“Of course.”

Together, they entered the establishment, the smell of freshly grilled burgers and hot fries greeting their noses. The atmosphere was calm, few people sitting at the tables scattered about. With a smile, (f/n) ordered two vanilla milkshakes and a large fry. Within minutes, their order was passed into their glad hands, and they made their way to a booth near the windows. Silence encapsulated them, yet it was welcoming. Their thoughts drifted, sailing to and fro in search of coherency. Just as (f/n) decided on a conversation topic, a broad shouldered redhead sat beside Kuroko; a mountain of burgers was added to the table. 

And, of course, Kagami jumped when he realized the table was occupied.

“What are you two doing here?”

(f/n) was too busy laughing to respond, so Kuroko did so. “We like the shakes here.”

After an awkward silence on Kagami’s part, he spoke his thoughts. “Earlier, everyone mentioned the Generation of Miracles. Are they really that strong?”

An expression of thought crossed (f/n)’s face. “I have no idea how far they’ve improved, but two years ago I could never see anyone beating them. Tetsuya?”

Kuroko was staring out the window at the passing cars, the lights reflecting off their metallic bodies mesmerizing. His mind was filled with memories of his former teammates, and he felt glad that (f/n) had left when she did, lest she be burdened such as he. 

“They have improved greatly.”

“Yeah, I had a feeling.” She looked at Kagami with nostalgia in her eyes. “They were always so individual. They were a team, yet, when each of them had the ball, it was one player versus the world, their teammates included.”

Pondering his tablemates’ words, the redhead continued his meal. Darkness had already fallen, and (f/n)’s eyelids were falling as well, the weight of the night growing with every second. 

Suddenly, Kagami’s eyes were filled with a fire familiar to the girl. “Do you think I could beat them?”

One second had passed, yet Kuroko answered like he had expected the question for years. “You would be crushed.”


	2. Chapter 2

Weeks passed, and the team grew together. Their teamwork improved greatly, but it wasn’t at the level it needed to be. (f/n) knew this, of course, so she tried her best to form a good relationship with each member of her team, even though she knew they were a bit uncomfortable with her. This just further cemented the fact that she would need to prove herself in a more official setting, a practice match maybe. 

She was pushing herself as hard as she could in practice, this time one on one against Izuki. He was her counterpart out of the entire team; they both had point guard blood. It was only natural for them to face off. Other pairs were speckled across one half of the floor, while another group practiced at the other goal. Kagami was showing off his prowess, but (f/n) paid him no mind. Her focus was on Izuki, knees bent and eyes on hers. 

“So, Izuki, do you have any tips for me? It really has been a while since I’ve played so regularly.”

He eyed her a bit before smiling. His breathing was steady, but the sweat upon his forehead betrayed the state of his stamina. “Well, you do seem a little tight. You could loosen up a bit.”

The girl sighed, switching the ball into her other hand in a crossover and dribbling forward a bit to push her opponent back. She didn’t want to actually make a break yet, just interrupt his thinking. “I know, I know. I guess I’m just nervous.”

Her admission brought a bit of an opening, and Izuki narrowed his eyes. In a flash, he thrust his hand forward to steal the ball, but she was faster. She grinned. He returned it with a raised eyebrow. “About what?”

“I don’t know. I guess I feel like I have to prove myself, what with everyone already knowing of my past. It’s a lot to live up to, you know? I feel like everyone’s expecting something like Kagami from me. Sheer power that can’t be touched. He definitely reminds me of them, but I’m not quite there anymore, and it’s frustrating. Well, it’s not like I was ever there, though.”

She got tired of her own rambling, and her frustration needed an outlet, so she charged forward without warning. Izuki kept close, backing up but not allowing her a path. She crossed over, through her legs, then around in one fluid motion. She could still feel how tense she was, and took a deep breath to calm her muscles. Although her move was fluid, it wasn’t as free as she wished; she wished to be like water, everchanging and everflowing. So she breathed, focused, and released. She remembered her time at Teikou, how she had felt, and emulated it. All of this happened in what felt like an eternity to her, but, to Izuki, it was a second. But he caught it. He noticed her change. It was almost like her confidence cracked like a glow stick, one second creating enough force to allow her to be free. 

She backstepped, something Izuki was expecting, and began her ascent from behind the three-line. Izuki jumped to meet her, but her toes remained on the floor; she stopped her jump before it could be completed and dribbled around her opponent, going in for an easy layup before Izuki could retaliate. 

He was dumbstruck, staring at the ball as it made connection with the court under the goal. Then, he laughed, and (f/n) looked to him. “Seems to me like you’ll get there soon.”

(f/n) smiled at his words. “I sure hope so.” 

“Alright everyone, gather round. I have some good news!” Riko yelled from the sidelines. Once everyone stood before her, she continued. “I’ve set up a practice match with Kaijo High for Saturday! They definitely won’t be a bad opponent, and we’ll use all the freshmen, too!”

Hyuga seemed surprised. “Maybe they’ll be too much.”

One of the freshmen spoke up. “Are they that strong?”

Nodding, Hyuga turned to everyone. “Kaijo is a powerhouse of a school. They compete in the Inter High tournament every year.”

“Woah.”

“Well…”

The captain turned to his coach. “More importantly, coach, was what you said true?”

Everyone seemed a bit perplexed by his unsaid question, but Riko answered quickly. “Of course! Kaijo is one of the schools who’ve acquired a player of the Generation of Miracles. Theirs is Kise Ryouta.”

(f/n) was surprised, to say the least. She wasn’t expecting to face off against an old friend so soon, but she supposed she was glad it was Kise. He was easy going, so he wouldn’t be a hassle to reapproach. He’d probably hug her head off…

“Woah, really?!”

“Isn’t he a model too?”

Suddenly, a crowd of girls appeared out of the doors to the gym, and everyone stared at them dumbfounded. Then, a voice spoke. 

“Ahhh, damn, I didn’t come for that.”

Everyone looked to the source and were even more dumbfounded. It was… Kise.

“I’m seriously sorry. Do you have a minute for me to get through these?” he asked as he started signing autographs. (f/n) wasn’t surprised. He always was kind of a pushover. 

Finally he got finished, and hopped down from his makeshift perch. 

“Why are you here?”

“Well, I heard our next opponent was Seirin, and I remembered that’s where Kurokocchi went! So I came to say hi, since we got along the best in middle school, right?” He looked to Kuroko. 

“Not particularly.”

Kise, unsurprisingly, was caught off guard and was heavily saddened. Meanwhile, some of the team had picked up a magazine that had an article on Kise. They were oohing and ahing at his stats when they saw that he’d only been playing for two years at the time. (f/n) remembered well; he came on just a bit before she left. A perfect replacement. She wasn’t sour about it. Actually, she was glad someone had taken her stead. 

Kise wasn’t so happy with the article though, and he seemed almost embarrassed. “That article is exaggerating, really. I’m just glad I’m in there. But yeah, that just means I’m the weakest of the bunch. That’s why Kurokocchi and I were picked on a lot.”

“I didn’t particularly get picked on.”

“It was just me?!” (f/n) really couldn’t take her old friend’s antics anymore, and began laughing. Kise perked up at this, ceasing his crying. “(f/n)-chan?! When did you get back?!”

He ran to her, his arms wide for a hug. She was definitely right, he’d hug her head off. He scooped her up, surprisingly gentle, and held her close to him. 

“I got back a few weeks ago.”

Kise pulled back to look at her. “Why didn’t you come see me?” He pouted. 

Even though she knew this was coming, she wasn’t ready. “Well,” she averted her eyes, “to be honest, I was scared to. Plus I didn’t know what schools any of you went to.”

“Why were you scared?”

“I was scared… you guys would hate me for leaving.” Her voice trailed off into a whisper at the end. 

Kise smiled at her, his eyes displaying only happiness. “I could never be mad at you, (f/n)-chan. Well, if I was, it’d be because you didn’t defend me in front of everyone! Kurokocchi was embarrassing me!” (f/n) laughed at his antics as he released her. He was just glad she was back and smiling. 

He almost didn’t see the ball headed directly for his head. 

Swiftly, he held out his hand and effortlessly stopped the ball. “What?” He looked up to see Kagami, who had a glare staining his tan face. 

“Sorry to interrupt your reunion, but you didn’t come here just for that, did you? How about being my opponent, pretty boy?”

“Alright.” Naturally, Kise removed his jacket and loosened his tie, stretching a bit. Kuroko wasn’t impressed though. 

“This might be bad.”

(f/n) was worried but excited. Well, she hadn’t seen him play in over a year, so who could blame her? She wanted to see his improvement. 

Kagami lowered his stance, throwing Kise the ball. His defensive stance was good; his arms were out wide to prevent Kise from passing him. 

Kise smirked a bit. He was amused; Kagami wasn’t ready. No, not at all. He wasn’t ready to see his own move from earlier executed against him, the spin more powerful, more deadly. Kise stole Kagami’s dance and perfected it, twisting it into the most formidable of offenses. 

But Kagami was fast, and he used his long legs as a last resort. He pushed off the red paint beneath him, his hand flying upwards and connecting with the ball. He pushed as hard as he could. The ball didn’t dislodge. No, much to Kagami’s dismay, Kise was stronger, and he slammed the ball straight through the basket like it was as light as a ping pong ball. Kagami fell into the court’s cold and dense arms; his eyes were wide with wonder. 

This wonder was shared by everyone watching. 

(f/n) had mixed feelings. She felt a sense of pride in the fact that Kise had advanced so much; he wasn’t the newbie she knew before. However, her pride was replaced with a bit of dread when she remembered she had to face that power as well; everyone did. And if the blonde had progressed this much, who’s to say the rest of her old teammates weren’t knocking on impossibility’s door as well. She was amazed and scared. 

A voice from behind the girl spoke up, but she was too entranced by her thoughts to put a name to it. “So this… is the Generation of Miracles. Kuroko, isn’t your friend too incredible?”

“I don’t know that person.”

The girl stared at the man of blue hair, her eyes wide. What could he be getting at? Did he feel the same dread as she did?

“Even though I haven’t seen him for just a few months, he… has evolved so much.”

Kise brushed himself off and righted his attire. No sweat appeared on his brow. “So, as I was saying, I’d like to take Kurokocchi and (f/n)-chan back with me.”

“What?!”

“What are you talking about?!”

“I’m serious. They’re just wasting their talent in this place.”

Kuroko spoke up first. “I am honored that you think about me this way. However, I humbly refuse that proposal.” He bowed. 

Kise’s face dropped, but he kept on. “Wasn’t winning everything to you? Why didn’t you go to a stronger school?”

On the sidelines, the upperclassmen tensed a bit. Izuki sighed and whispered, “No offense taken, thanks.” Hyuga rolled his eyes. 

Staring hard into his old teammate’s eyes, Kuroko stated, “My thinking has changed. More importantly, I’ve made a promise to Kagami-kun… A promise to defeat the Generation of Miracles.”

That was certainly a blow to the blonde, and everyone felt the power behind his words. It was like he was cutting every tie to his old teammates. 

“This isn’t like you.” He sighed and turned his eyes to (f/n). “Well, what about you? You’ll still come with me, right, (f/n)-chan?” 

His eyes were hopeful, and (f/n) really hated quelling a person’s hope. However, she made a promise to her team as well. She would stand by them. She couldn’t just up and leave them like that. 

“Ryouta, that’s a big question to ask. What if I asked you to leave your new team and join mine?”

Surprise etched itself onto Kise’s face. “But my team is so much stronger! I’m asking for your own good!”

(f/n) sighed. “Ryouta, first of all, I haven’t even seen your team. Secondly, and more importantly, I’ve already dedicated myself to this team. I can’t just leave them now.”

“It’s settled then! You’ll come visit my school and check it out before our match so you can actually decide!”

(f/n) was a bit confused. “That isn’t what I meant by…”

He approached her and held her hands. “You said it yourself! You haven’t seen my team! So if you see them, you won’t have such a biased opinion!”

Sighing yet again, she relented. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt anything. And I’ll get to spend a bit more time with you…”

A beaming smile replaced Kise’s puppy dog eyes. “Yes! Okay, I guess I’ll be going. I’ll see you an hour before our game, (f/n)-chan!” Then, he turned to Kagami. “And, sorry, after you declaring a fight like that, I’m going to seriously have to take you down.”

Kagami just smiled that deranged smile of his. “Of course!”


	3. Chapter 3

The day of the practice match came faster than (f/n) anticipated. She wasn’t really looking forward to arriving early. What was she even supposed to say? Hi, I’m here to check out your school to “maybe transfer” because my friend here just insisted I come here. Oh, you don’t know who I am? And you don’t allow girls on your team? And you’re kicking me out? Yeah, right. 

With a groan, she rose from the couch in her apartment. Living alone had its perks, she could admit. She got to decorate the entire space herself (she opted for simplistic and eclectic, if that even made sense), and she had a cat. His name was Orion, and he basically had stars in his eyes every time he saw his food bowl. Or his human, but mostly his food bowl. 

With a final pat to Orion’s head, she grabbed her sports bag and headed out the door, locking it behind her. Surprisingly, she didn’t live far from the opposing school that was her destination. The train ride there was short and cheap. She almost wished it was longer than just ten minutes; she needed time to think about her situation. 

The entire situation was crazy. What was Kise even thinking? Did he really expect her to change her mind? Why did she even agree to his little plan? Did his coach even know about this? About her? 

Before long, she was walking through the gates of Kaijo High School. It was certainly a large school, and she could only guess what its budget was. The size was foreboding as she stepped within. She just knew she would get lost. 

“(f/n)-chan!!!!”

Before she knew it, Kise was in front of her. 

“Where did you come from?”

“I told coach you were coming! So he let me wait for you so you wouldn’t get lost!”

She was surprised. “You told him about me?”

Kise began the trek to the gym, and she followed close behind. “Of course! I told him all about how you used to be a starter. He didn’t believe me at first, but after a little persuading he let me secure you a tour. He’s definitely interested in you!”

Nervously adjusting her bag on her shoulder, the girl looked around. “So is this the tour?”

Kise shook his head. “No, he wanted to meet you first.”

“Okay.”

Soon, they stood in front of the doors to the gym. The undeniable sound of basketball shoes connecting with a polished floor resounded through the hallway, and it only heightened her nerves. 

“Don’t be nervous. They’ll love you, (f/n)-chan!”

“I don’t know about that…”

“What’s not to love?” the blonde asked as he opened the door and guided her through. At first, the practice kept going. (f/n) noticed that they were setting up for half court play, and that surprised her a bit. Weren’t they having a practice match? The next thing she noticed was the players. They definitely looked formidable. Then she noticed the nervousness in the pit of her stomach, and it only grew as she was pushed forward by her former teammate. 

“Coach! This is (l/n) (f/n)! She’s the one I told you about!”

Kaijo’s coach turned, as did a lot of the team. All eyes seemed to be on the girl. She didn’t like it. 

“Hello, sir, I’m happy to meet you,” she greeted and bowed. He nodded at her. He seemed a little disheveled and disinterested, but he kept his focus on the two. 

“Kise says you played with him at Teikou, is that correct?”

(f/n) felt at a loss. She wanted to impress this man, but she didn’t want to transfer schools. How did she get into the mess again?

...Kise, who stood beside her and nodded for her to answer. 

“Yes, sir, I did. For the two years that I was there, I played in many games.”

“And she regularly scored more than twenty points!” Kise added. He definitely wanted to impress his coach. 

“Hmm, and why did you leave?” 

“My family moved to America to help my ill grandmother, sir.”

“Why did you choose Seirin?”

“I kept up with basketball news as much as possible, and I knew that they had a growing basketball program, and I knew that I wasn’t too well known, so I thought it was a good fit for me and that I could grow with the team.”

The coach seemed to think on this a bit. “Why are you interested in my program?”

Oh, the dreaded question. Casting a glance at her friend, she answered as politely as she could manage. “Well, Ryouta thinks that my skills would be of more use here, and he offered to show me the school as an option.”

After another few moments of thought on the coach’s part, he nodded. “Well, from what I have heard, you could be useful to my team. But I am not sure since I could not find any stats under your name. Kise informed me that your former coach kept you as much of a secret as he could, so I understand that. However, I will not decide on your usefulness until our practice match.”

“I understand.”

Kise seemed elated. “Can I take her on the tour now, coach?”

The coach beckoned for Kise to speak with him in private, so (f/n) stood as calmly as she could on the sidelines. Some of the team had resumed their drills, but a few still had their eyes on her. She decided to watch those who were practicing and try to ignore the stares. 

“Kise,” the coach whispered, “as much as I… trust… your judgment on her, I’d rather have another opinion, so I’m sending Kasamatsu to assess her and give her the tour.” 

Kise’s eyes widened tenfold. “But, coach, he can’t—”

“No but’s.” He turned to the court. “Kasamatsu!”

The ravenette jogged over, and (f/n) looked over to him. He was the captain, that much was obvious. He had a certain air about him, as if he was a born leader. 

“Coach?”

The whispering continued. “Kasamatsu, she is Kise’s former teammate. She was once a starter for Teikou, and Kise is trying to get her to transfer here. She’s here for a tour before our practice match against her current school, and I want you to do it.”

The captain visibly paled. “M-me? Why?”

“Because I trust your judgment. Now, go.”

With that, the coach turned to address his team, and Kasamatsu was left with his greatest fear: a girl. 

(f/n) noticed the captain approaching and turned to greet him. “Hello, I am (l/n) (f/n). Are you taking me on the tour?”

His blue eyes widened a bit, and his breathing was rapid. He just knew he was going to suffocate. But, no, the coach was counting on him and he couldn’t disappoint his team. With that in mind, he calmed his nerves a bit and started his mission. That’s all it was, a mission. 

“Yes. I am Kasamatsu Yukio, captain of the Kaijo basketball team.” 

He turned on his heel and mechanically started toward the doors. Once they were in the halls, he headed in a random direction. In his eyes, there wasn’t much to see. It was like any other school. The basketball club was the only extraordinary element in his opinion. 

“So, I know you don’t want to lead me around here, and I’m not really interested in the rest of the school…” (f/n) stopped and turned to the man beside her. 

“What?” He was dumbfounded. 

“Ryouta is trying to convince me to come here and be with him like old times, but I already have a team to grow with, and I don’t want to impose on what you’ve already accomplished. Besides, I love my team, and the team is the most important part of basketball. Teamwork makes or breaks a team, and I’d ruin both my team and yours if I left.”

Kasamatsu sighed a bit as the girl before him slid down the wall into a sitting position. He felt awkward, so he followed her suit. Her words resonated with him. He knew she wasn’t as in tune with her team as he was with his team yet, but, nonetheless, he knew it’d be crazy for him to leave his team for another just based on its status. 

“I understand that.”

He was honestly surprised he wasn’t stuttering. Maybe it was because of how comfortable she seemed to be with him, or the fact that they had a few things in common, but he knew he didn’t feel as uncomfortable as he usually did with girls. That’s progress, at least. 

“You understand what? My reasons for not joining your team on a whim, or the fact that Ryouta just isn’t that bright sometimes?” She turned to him with an amused grin, and he felt all the air escape his lungs. That’s not progress. He looked away and breathed. Come on, it’s just a girl. Just a girl who plays basketball and is smiling at you and…

Stop that. Breathe. 

“B-both. I have to kick him sometimes.”

At that, (f/n) laughed. She could definitely see that. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all week. Does it actually work?”

Surprisingly, her laugh gave him confidence instead of nerves, and he smiled a little. “Yeah, but not enough if I have to keep doing it.”

“Yeaaaah, he doesn’t really learn his lesson.” She sighed and looked up. “I’m sorry I’m wasting your time.”

Kasamatsu shook his head. “You’re not.” Well, she was taking up his practice time, but he wouldn’t say it was a waste. 

The girl smiled. “Well, that’s good. I’d rather come out of this stupid situation Ryouta put me in with a friend than nothing at all.”

Red tinged the captain’s cheeks and ears, and he looked away. “Yeah, me too…” His voice trailed off. 

Taking out her phone, (f/n) checked the time. Her teammates would be arriving soon. She looked to the man next to her, then her phone again. “Would it be weird for me to ask for your number?” He tensed up a bit, and she noticed and tried to backtrack. “I mean, I’d like to be friends and it’d be cool to have someone in a different district to talk to and…” She sighed. 

“S-sure.”

She smiled as he rambled off his phone number before standing, and she stood as well. They made their way back to the gym in a comfortable silence. Once they reached the doors, she noticed her team approaching from the other hall. 

“Well, Kasamatsu, I’ve gotta go. Good luck against us.”

“You too.”

As he went into the gym, she fell into step with her teammates. Koganei was beside her, and he spoke up. “So, how’d it go?”

Hyuga joined in. “Yeah, you thinking of leaving us?”

(f/n) shook her head. “No way, guys. Like I tried to tell Ryouta, I already chose my team, and I wanna grow with you guys.” Kagami put his arm around her shoulders. 

“Yeah, and you don’t wanna miss out on us beating the Generation of Miracles!”

With a laugh, they stepped into the gym, and everyone noticed that it was still set up as a half court match. On the other side of the net, regular practice was happening. Also, the backboards were just plain wooden standins for the real thing. It really seemed like they’d been underestimated. 

“We’re playing on half a court?”

The Kaijo coach walked over. “Nice to meet you. We’ll be playing on only this side of the court. Do you mind?”

Riko looked like she got hit with a train of underestimation. “Nice to meet you too… but, what do you mean?”

“Well,” the coach looked to the half of his team that was drilling on the other side of the court, “today’s match is just a light warmup for our team. The club members that won’t be playing won’t learn anything by just watching, so they’re practicing as usual to not waste their time. However, we’re still using our regular members. Please don’t let us triple your score.”

Riko looked like she was going to snap, so (f/n) put a hand on her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. We’re gonna prove that we need a full court match. They’re underestimating us.”

Kise was putting on his uniform when the coach caught his eye. “Why are you putting on your uniform? You’re not playing.”

“What?”

“Even in our school of aces, you’re a completely different level.” The coach sighed. “We’re already uneven, so with you it wouldn’t even be a match.”

After hearing that, Izuki whispered, “I haven’t been this pissed in a while…” Everyone nodded their heads a little in agreement. 

Frazzled, Kise walked over to the Seirin team. “Well, I’ll be on the bench. If you knock the coach off his high horse (no offense), I’ll probably be able to play!” He turned to walk away, but looked back after a few steps. “If you can’t make me play in this match, you have no right saying you’ll beat the Generation of Miracles.”

The coach yelled out, “Hey, Seirin! I’ll show you to the locker rooms!”

Riko addressed him as she passed, “Excuse me, but I think it’ll be impossible for a warm up, because I don’t think you’ll be able to afford holding back.”

With that, everyone filed into the locker room to remove their overclothes. As they stretched, Riko went over their strategy, but (f/n) couldn’t help but be focused on her own thoughts. She was frustrated that the coach was treating them like a warm up rather than a formidable opponent, which they were. 

They’d find out soon enough. 


	4. Chapter 4

Soon, they were out on the (half) court, each team’s starting five approaching the center. As predicted, they didn’t notice Kuroko, but they got over it, as much as you can get over completely overlooking a person’s presence.

Kaijo won the jump, the ball falling into Kasamatsu’s hands. (f/n) was excited to see his play style, and she was a little frustrated that she couldn’t face off against him and prove herself.

Now that she thought of it, the coach said he’d be watching her to “assess her use,” but he already underestimated her team, so was he just politely lying to her face? She’d show him.

As the Kaijo captain was calling a play, Kuroko stole the ball for a fast break. The look on the ravenette’s face was priceless, and (f/n) knew she’d have to tease him on it at a later date.

Focus on the match.

Even though he was caught off guard, Kasamatsu fell back into defensive mode quickly, but not fast enough, as Kuroko passed the ball to the one and only Kagami Taiga. The redhead went in for a dunk, and… came out with the rim in his hand.

To say everyone was surprised would be an understatement. Well, the coach definitely ate his words. Soon, the full court was ready to be utilized, and the game was ready to resume.

Irritated, the coach subbed in Kise. He knew he had to do something. Kise was a sure option to defeat anyone.

He was also a sure option to get all the girls to scream, and a crowd was already forming in the bleachers above them.

Hyuga was surprised. “What the hell’s with that?”

Kasamatsu rolled his eyes. “Oh, that? That happens whenever he’s playing. Actually…” he made his way toward the model who was waving at his adoring fans. With swift movements, the captain kicked Kise directly in the head. “How long are you gonna keep waving at them?!”

“I’m sorry!”

“I’ll hit you!”

“You already did!”

(f/n) wasn’t expecting to see Kise get kicked so soon, but she wasn’t complaining. She couldn’t hold in her giggles, though. She thought she was literally going to die of laughter.

Kaijo’s captain was surprised to hear her laugh, and his face became hot, so he turned away to prepare for the match. Soon, he was bringing the ball down the court, and he passed it to Kise. Even though Hyuga was beneath the basket, Kise jumped over him and went for a dunk. He put a lot of force to it, and the ball bounced loudly off the floor.

Kasamatsu wasn’t pleased, however. “Moron, you should’ve broken it like them!”

(f/n) really found him amusing.

For a while, the match was just back and forth. Kuroko would use his ability to steal the ball, and Kagami would score. Kaijo would counter with Kise’s sheer power. The score was climbing with every second it seemed. The pace was phenomenal. (f/n) was a bit worried. It was their first match, so no one knew of Kuroko’s lack of stamina and short usage time. She wouldn’t be able to get a word in edgewise, though, for everyone was invested in the sprinting players on the court. She just wished she could go in.

Riko called a timeout, and everyone sat down to cool off. Sweat was pouring out of every pore, and the gym was alive with the sound of gasping breaths. The pace really was taking a toll on them.

Kuroko informed the team of his waning efficiency, and Riko wasn’t pleased. That was basically the extent of the break.

Kaijo had the ball, and Seirin switched to a box and one defense, with Kagami guarding Kise and the other four defending the center.

Kasamatsu stopped at the head of the three point line. Without warning, he jumped and shot a beautiful three point shot. On his descent, he glanced over at Seirin’s bench, and he saw (f/n)’s slightly agape mouth turn into a smirk. He was quite pleased with himself.

Show off.

He just wanted them to see that, even without Kise, Kaijo would still be a formidable opponent.

Slowly, the blue team was getting used to their foe’s tactics, and their lead grew. Kagami realized that Kise’s weak point was Kuroko, whose misdirection couldn’t be copied. With that, Kuroko and Kagami really began working as a team, with each other and the rest of Seirin.

Soon, it was the second quarter. Kuroko and Kagami were double teaming the Kaijo ace and effectively rendering him useless for the moment. But that didn’t last long; suddenly, Kise accidentally hit Kuroko in the eye, and he was bleeding profusely from his head. The team carried him to the bench, and Riko addressed them.

“Kuroko can’t play anymore. (l/n)-chan, you’re going in. We need to stop their point lead somehow. Kagami, focus on defense since we can’t have Kise copying you.”

Hyuga snapped into clutch mode, meaning he wouldn’t miss any of his shots, and everyone ran back out onto the court. Izuki decided to let (f/n) bring the ball down, and she went slow. She decided that her best bet was a simple play executed with precision, and she went with it. Kasamatsu was guarding Izuki on the right wing, but her teammate got open and she passed to him. Faster than lightning, she set up a pick on the Kaijo captain so Izuki could dribble past, then broke to the corner. Izuki passed the ball back to her after faking a layup, and she shot a perfect three pointer. As everyone ran back down the court for defense, she trailed behind, and without real permission, decided to do a makeshift press. When the ball was passed to Kasamatsu, she intervened, and with a swift spin, made her way to the three point line to close the gap even more. Pleased with herself, she made her way back to defense, high fiving her teammates along the way.

68-74

Kuroko woke up, and he seemed dead set on getting back in the game. Riko substituted him for Mitobe. After Kuroko came back in, it was like a whole new ball game. His misdirection was back at full force due to his 20 minute absence, and the teamwork of Seirin as a whole was phenomenal. Izuki and (f/n) alternated bringing the ball down, and they moved the ball at differing speeds to interrupt the pace. Everyone moved around the court with renewed energy, reinvigorated with the closing gap.

80-82

After seeing the score as she was bringing the ball down, (f/n) knew they had to tie it right then and there. She pulled off one of her fluid movements and danced around her guard, only to jump for a fade away and make a two point shot.

They were tied.

And Kise was angry. He got past Kuroko and Kagami’s defense and scored a dunk.

“I won’t lose. Not to Kuroko, not to (f/n), not to _ anyone _.”

Then, just like the first quarter, it was all back and forth from there. Seirin scored, but Kaijo retaliated just as fast.

Back and forth.

2 points for 2 points.

98-98 with 15 seconds left.

The pace was insane. Everyone’s breathing was ragged, and sweat glistened on every player’s skin. Seirin had to steal the ball if they wanted to win.

…

Kasamatsu decided to shoot, but (f/n) wasn’t about to let him do that. No, she couldn’t allow it. She knew her legs weren’t as strong as they used to be. And she wasn’t as tall as anyone else on the court, save for Kuroko. But she put all of her hope in her legs, and she jumped.

She reached higher.

And higher.

And she tipped the ball _ after _ it left Kasamatsu’s fingertips.

Hyuga got the rebound, and he swung the ball down the court.

Kagami ran.

Kuroko ran.

But Kise lay in front of them, and they wouldn’t be able to get past in time.

But Kagami passed the ball to Kuroko.

And he sent an alleyoop to Kagami,

who scored a buzzer beater,

and won the game.

Seirin won the game.

Everyone screamed in victory. (f/n) high fived Izuki, who was closest to her. She couldn’t stop smiling. No one could.

Well, Kaijo wasn’t happy. They had lost to a team they heavily underestimated, and it showed on their faces. Kise was hit the hardest by the loss.

“We… lost?”

He began to cry. His tears surprised (f/n), but, at the same time, they didn’t. He’d never lost in his life; of course he’d be upset. She was about to go comfort him when…

“You idiot! What’s with the weeping?! Wait, the fact that you’ve never lost is pissing me off even more! I’ll hit you!” Kasamatsu had already kicked him. “For this kind of case, you’d better add the word ‘revenge’ to your dictionary!”

After the usual locker room visit and cleanup, Seirin was ready to be sent off. The Kaijo players led them to the door. Kasamatsu approached Hyuga and shook his hand. “We’re from different districts, so our next meeting will be at the Inter High tournament.”

“We will definitely go. None of us wants to confess to a girl naked.”

(f/n) stepped forward. “At least I don’t have to in the odd case we don’t make it.” Hyuga glared at her, but retreated to talk to Riko. Kasamatsu was about to follow his team inside, but the girl stopped him. “Hey, Captain.”

He turned in surprise. “Yeah?”

She smiled and held out her hand. “That was a great game.”

He smiled too, albeit with pink ears and cheeks. “Yeah, it was.”

She let go of his hand. “You’ve got an amazing team on your hands. I can’t wait to play you again. Maybe I’ll be in for more of it.” She laughed.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t trade them for the world. And your team is pretty amazing too. We’ll both be better by the time we play again.”

“I’ll be surprised if you’re better.” Kasamatsu’s mouth was agape; he didn’t know if he should be offended. “I don’t mean it like that. It’s just, you’re already so amazing, you can’t have much further to go.”

Face becoming redder, he rubbed the back of his neck. “W-well, you’re pretty a-amazing too.”

“Thanks, I—”

“(l/n)! Are you coming or what?!”

She looked back to see her team already leaving. “Well, I guess I have to go.”

“Yeah…”

With another smile in his direction, she began to turn, but stopped herself. “I’ll text you.”

He was a bit surprised by that. “A-Alright.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've coded in actual text message graphics for this. If you have creator's style turned off, they don't show up and the messages don't seem as coherent. I'm looking into fixing this! Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!

The next day, (f/n) awoke to a hungry Orion patting her face from his perch on her nightstand. With a groan, she stretched and swung her legs over the side of her disheveled bed. Orion made a sound of approval before he hopped down and led the way to his food bowl. (f/n) sighed with a smile. Her cat certainly was demanding, but she adored him nonetheless.

The sun was seeping through her apartment’s windows, the sheer curtains diffusing but not stopping the natural light. As she shoveled a serving of dry food into Orion’s bowl, she wondered what she’d do with her Sunday. She had no prior obligations, and her fridge was stocked because she decided to go shopping Friday, so she supposed she’d stay in and bask in the presence of rest. She wasn’t as sore as she expected to be, but her knees still ached a bit. Maybe she’d take a nice warm bath to warm up her tired muscles.

With a little smile toward her furry friend, the girl retreated into her kitchen to grab the ingredients for pancakes. She wanted to treat herself a bit. She did technically win her first game in a few years yesterday, so who’s to say she didn’t deserve a nice treat? The only thing that’d make the pancakes better would be someone else making them and her staying in bed, but she’d still enjoy herself.

As she whisked everything together, she remembered the new contact in her phone. She felt a bit embarrassed at how she’d asked for his number, but she just felt the need to see him again. He seemed like a nice person to hang around, and he could definitely teach her a few things. She definitely didn’t know how she’d actually text him though, and she couldn’t wait for him to text her. First of all, he didn’t have her number, and, second, he definitely didn’t seem like the type to text first anyways. He had that shy air about him when it came to her. Maybe he was awkward around girls?

With a look to the clock, (f/n) poured a few pancakes-to-be onto her electric griddle. It was a little after nine, so Kasamatsu would probably be awake. In her opinion, he seemed like the early bird type. She flipped one pancake after another, deep in thought. A few minutes later, she transferred them to a plate and buttered them individually. She turned off the griddle, poured herself some syrup, and made her way into her living space with a cup of milk and her pancakes in hand. Orion had already finished his breakfast, so he followed her and settled beside her on the couch.

She turned on her tv and began her meal with a content smile upon her face. She already knew today would be a good day, but being settled into the couch further cemented the idea. No homework, no practice, and no shopping meant for a serenity she didn’t want to go away. She could totally get used to days like this.

Once her pancakes were all but gone, she heard her phone vibrate on her nightstand. She rose to fetch it. Who could that be? She couldn’t remember any plans, but knowing she could’ve forgotten something really made her nervous. Settling back into her spot on the couch and replacing her blanket, she eyed her phone. There was a message from an unknown number.

(f/n)-chan! I got your number from Kurokocchi! I was wondering if you’d like to hang out tomorrow? :)  
  


It was obviously Kise, so she added him as a contact before replying.

Sure Ryouta. What did you have in mind?  
  
I was thinking we could eat at a nice restaurant I found and then maybe walk around and catch up? :)  
  
That sounds nice. Text me the address and I’ll be there after school tomorrow  
  
Yay! I can’t wait! :D  
  


With that, he texted her the address. She smiled. It’d be nice to catch up with him after so long. She wondered if he had kept in contact with the others. For some reason, she had a feeling he didn’t.

She stared down at her phone for a second and noticed Kasamatsu’s name. Well, she didn’t want to wait too long to text him, else she get more nervous, so she opened a new message to him.

Hi, it’s (f/n). So how do you feel after your loss? :P  
  


No, no, she didn’t want to rub it in his face.

Delete.

Hi, it’s (f/n)  
  


What else could she say? She had no idea how to break the ice at this point, so she covered her eyes and hit send. Now, she needed to distract herself. She grabbed her dishes and sauntered nervously back to the kitchen. Why was she so nervous? The worst he could do would be not replying, and then she’d never see him again. Well, not until the Inter High tournament, but even then she wouldn’t be required to speak to him. It’d be fine. She quickly washed and dried her dishes, putting them in their rightful places afterwards. On her way back to the couch she grabbed a water bottle. Then, she nestled herself back into her sofa’s cushions.

Her phone lay beside her, and she decided to check it. He hadn’t responded yet. Figures. With a sigh, she turned her attention back to the television. However, just as she was setting her phone back down, it vibrated. He had replied.

Hi.  
  


Well, she didn’t expect him to even reply, so that was some progress. She was still blank on conversation topics, so she went with the obvious next question.

What’s up?  
  


Wow, so original.

Just about to leave my house.  
  
Where are you headed?  
  
The park to practice.  
  


* * *

Kasamatsu had been grabbing a couple water bottles when his phone had vibrated in his pocket. He was expecting another text from Kise asking him to hang out, but he was surprised to see who had sent it. As he walked out his door, duffel bag in hand, he wondered just how long (f/n)’d talk to him before she got tired of his awkwardness. He really didn’t know how to keep a conversation going with a girl. Hopefully she’d hold it well enough on her own.

As he started the walk to the park that he frequented, he got another message.

Oh, that’s fun. Do you practice everyday?  
  
As often as I can.  
  
You seem like an amazing captain  
  


He felt his face grow hot, so he sped up his pace. He definitely was not expecting that.

Thanks.  
  
I should probably be doing the same thing as you, but I’m just kind of lazing around  
  
Well, do you have anywhere to practice?  
  
Hmm… there is a park a little ways away… are you trying to make me exercise?  
  


That drew a laugh out of the man. How was she so comfortable around him? It really was baffling. Usually girls avoided him, either because of his awkwardness or because of his steely exterior. Well, it could also be a mixture of both.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t.  
  


He felt more confident talking like this. As long as he didn’t type his awkwardness, she’d never know. At this point, he was halfway to the park.

Your argument is good. I guess I’m gonna get ready and head to that park. It’s just a few minutes away  
  
Good luck.  
  
Thanks. You too. Seems like you’re a good influence on me :P  
  


* * *

She was feeling pretty confident when she typed that message, but that disappeared when he didn’t reply. Well, he was probably in basketball mode, so she wouldn’t worry too much. Within a few minutes, she had her sports bag, some water bottles, and a basketball in hand, and she was wearing a tank top and some sports shorts. With a goodbye thrown toward Orion, she locked her door and headed out.

She decided to jog the short distance to the park after a little stretch. It’d warm her up and be some good exercise. The sun was approaching its highest point, and the air was warming up, but the weather felt just right. She passed quite a few people on her way, and she made sure to smile at every single one.

When she got to her destination, she realized there was already someone else using the court. He was practicing shooting it seemed, but she couldn’t make out any features from her spot at the entrance to the park. She decided to use the other goal and began walking towards it. She set down her bag and stretched a bit more before grabbing her ball. Some dribbling exercises would be a good place to start.

She chanced another glance at the man at the other end of the court, and realization hit her like a train.

“Kasamatsu!”

The man turned, surprised. He wasn’t expecting to see anyone today, let alone the girl he just told to go to her nearest park… Did they really live that close to each other?

“(l/n)?”

With a smile on her face, she crossed the basketball court, her hands focusing on dribbling her ball but her eyes trained on the ravenette. He became nervous. How was he supposed to focus now? Soon, the (h/c) was standing in front of him.

“Well, it seems like we live pretty close, huh?” He nodded in response, his mouth betraying him for the moment. “Since we’re already here, do you want to maybe practice together?” His silence caused her to backtrack. He just stared wide-eyed at her, then looked down at his own basketball. “It’s okay if you don’t want to, though. I know you came here to practice alone.”

“We can.”

Relieved, she smiled softly. “Great. So how about a one-on-one match?”

“Sure.”

The girl set down her basketball before settling into a defensive stance in front of her opponent. Knees bent, she smirked up at him and fixed her hair to make sure it wouldn’t betray her. “Hope you’re ready to lose, Captain.”

Kasamatsu began dribbling the ball slowly, his eyes coming alive. Confidence came back to him as he fell into his element. “Talking to yourself?” He grinned a bit.

“Very funny.”

He crossed over, dribbling between his legs and around himself at differing speeds. (f/n) kept him back, observing him. He was obviously trying to throw her off with his random pacing, but she’d wait for her opening. Suddenly, the man went in for a break, but the girl was just as fast. She kept him out, pushing him back into the corner. He eyed her, thought obvious on his features.

Then he dribbled swiftly and headed back towards the top of the three point line. She followed. He saw his opportunity. He bounced the ball between her legs, passing her and executing a by-the-book layup. (f/n) just stood there for a second, watching as the ravenette caught the ball and laughed.

“You’re just lucky.”

Mirth shone in Kasamatsu’s eyes. His confidence was bubbling, all nervousness all but gone. Basketball truly made him feel comfortable.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He checked the ball to her, a laugh dying in his throat. He needed to focus on defense. Serious eyes stared back at the girl, and she hardened her gaze as well.

She knew that Kasamatsu was good at defense, so she’d have to work hard for an opening. Maybe she could… It was risky, but it’d definitely make him eat his words. With new resolve, she dribbled the ball at a breakneck speed.

Her opponent followed her, his eyes glancing between the ball and her own. With fluid movement, she started to the right, her guard following. Then, with the swiftness of a wave, she changed the ball’s direction, taking herself out of her own movement as well. This had always been her strength: changing her movement in the blink of an eye. She didn’t have to commit to her directions as others did. So, she brought the ball back across in a surprise crossover and followed it to the left. Kasamatsu, unsurprisingly, was still moving in the other direction, and he tried to correct. However, it hurt him even more, for he stuttered in his steps and almost fell. While he was in his stupor, the (h/c) quickly brought the ball back out and shot a perfect three pointer.

Kasamatsu seemed irritated and also impressed. With a smile, (f/n) checked the ball to him. “That was pure skill, no luck involved, so don’t even try to use my words against me,” she instructed him. He laughed.

“Alright then.”

The game went back and forth like this for over an hour, their banter peppering the silence. They both had permanent grins etched on their faces. The game stopped when they both found themselves hungry. They didn’t keep score.

As they sat on the court drinking their water, (f/n) spoke up. “That was fun.”

“Yeah.”

She looked to the man, noticing the sweat running down his temples and the rise and fall of his chest. She was glad she gave him such a workout, perhaps even proud of herself.

“We should do this more often.”

He looked up, running a hand through his soaked hair. “Yeah, we should.”

A smile was returned to him as the girl stood. She stretched a bit and fixed her hair again. She sighed. The worst part of basketball was the sweaty hair.

“Do you wanna come with me to the cafe down the street? They have really good spaghetti.”

Kasamatsu stood as well, a thoughtful look covering his face. After a second, he nodded.

They both gathered their things and threw their bags over their shoulders before heading in the direction of the cafe. A comfortable silence wrapped around them, the only sounds their footsteps on the sidewalk and the cars passing by. Soon, they had both been seated and had ordered their spaghetti. As they waited, (f/n) decided to strike up another conversation.

“So, how long have you been Kaijo’s captain?”

The question seemed to surprise Kasamatsu, for he hesitated a bit. “Just this year.”

The girl’s eyes widened a bit. “Wow, that’s surprising.”

He looked up, his eyes inquisitive. “How so?”

Thinking a bit, she placed her chin in her hand and rested her elbow on the table. Her eyes stayed on the man. “Well, you just seem like you were born being a captain. You’re perfect for it.”

He felt his face grow hot, and he was thankful that their spaghetti was placed in front of them at that moment. Picking up a fork and poking at the noodles, he muttered, “I hope so.”

Swallowing the bite she had just taken, (f/n) gazed questioningly at the man across from her. “What do you mean?”

He hadn’t expected to be heard, but he relented and answered. “Last year, we lost in the Inter High preliminaries because of me. We were one point ahead and I made a bad pass and we lost. I’m not sure I’m the right guy for the job.”

The girl shook her head. “No, I think you are. I know I’ve only known you for two days so far, but you’ve already proven to me that you’re a good captain. You build your team up and you make the best calls you can. That’s what a true captain does. Also, you shouldn’t blame yourself for that. If it would’ve been someone else, you wouldn’t blame them, so you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

Her words truly resonated with him, and he nodded with a proud blush adorning his cheeks. She smiled at that, and he returned it a bit before looking away. He coughed to quell his awkwardness.

“So you played basketball at Teikou?”

“Yeah.”

“What was that like? Especially compared to your new team?”

Eating a bit more, she thought on the question. “Well, it was certainly different than Seirin. Everyone was so… I suppose powerful’s the word. And everyone had a certain strength. Each member of the Generation of Miracles could take a team down on their own, and they certainly tried it.” She sighed, looking directly at Kasamatsu. His eyes were full of fascination. He wanted to learn about them, those powerhouses that steal the limelight and take down everyone’s hard work.

“Teamwork wasn’t really a thing there. It was more of a competition between the members. I guess that’s because they had no other competition. Tetsuya and I were the only ‘real’ team members, now that I think about it. We passed the ball willingly and didn’t try to outscore the others. We were the only supportive ones on the court.”

Kasamatsu nodded at the new information. “Yeah, I could definitely see that. It’s probably why Kise was so difficult when he first came to us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he had no respect for the upperclassmen, and I had to explain to him that he couldn’t expect to always be in the game just because he was good. Others have put years of work into the team, so they deserve more respect. I think he understands that now, though.”

“Yeah, I’m glad you’re teaching him that. It’s good to respect those above you. They can help you grow more if you understand what they’ve accomplished.”

The man agreed, then bid for her to continue her tales of Teikou.

“Hmm, well, I’m sure they’ve grown stronger, but I can tell you what I remember of the different members, if you want.”

“Yeah, I’d like to hear that.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I actually don’t know much about them.”

“You know Ryouta already. He’s always been a copier, pure potential wrapped up under his golden hair. He came on just before I moved to America in our second year. He’s certainly improved since then. It’s almost crazy. We were definitely great friends though.

“I guess I’ll mention Midorima Shintaro next. He’s the one with the green hair, and his strength is his range. By the time I left, he was able to shoot from the half court line. I’m sure he can shoot from much farther now. That would certainly be a sight. I wasn’t particularly close to him. He chose to be a bit closed off, but we had a nice friendship. He was very straightforward, but you could tell he cared somewhere in there. Oh, and he’s obsessed with horoscopes.”

“Horoscopes?”

(f/n) laughed. “Yeah, he always used to carry his lucky item with him wherever he went. I bet he still does.

“I also wasn’t very close with Murasakibara Atsushi. He’s very tall, and he has purple hair. He’s a very strong post player. I’d be scared to arm wrestle him. Well, any of them, but especially him. He always used to love snacks, and we’d sneak out of practice sometimes to get them. Well, more like he’d drag me along and I’d bring some back for everyone else.

“Then there was Aomine Daiki… I’d say he was one of my best friends. He’s just pure prowess. Basketball runs through his blood. He loved the sport so much. It was always fun to watch him play. He worked so hard. I think he didn’t like Ryouta very much because of how fast he picked it up…” She trailed off. “Anyways, he and I would always practice together. He’s the one that taught me that move I used on you earlier.” She smiled at the memory.

“Kuroko Tetsuya was a good friend as well. We would always hang at the back and talk when everyone was riled up. Like I said, we were the extent of the teamwork at Teikou. We’d also always visit this fast food joint for their vanilla shakes together. I still love those milkshakes.

“Last but not least is Akashi Seijuro. He was the captain. He was the one who took interest in me and brought me onto the team. We were always close. He has a very analytical mind, and he’s good at everything he does. All he has to do is try. I was always surprised it never went to his head, but that was Seijuro for you.”

“Well, they certainly sound like an interesting bunch.” The man noticed her far off stare, nostalgia floating in her eyes. “Have you spoken to them since you returned?”

At that, the girl looked away, her eyes sad. “No, I don’t know which schools they went to, and I’m too scared to approach them. I feel like some of them will blow me off because I left them so suddenly.”

“I think it’ll be fine. They’d be crazy to not talk to you again. You’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”

Kasamatsu’s words caused the girl to flush in embarrassment. “Thank you.”

After a little more small talk, the two paid for their meals and left the establishment. The air was warmer now, the sun’s rays finally kicking into effect. The streets were a bit busier; the air was filled with sound. After a few moments of unguided walking, (y/n) turned to the man.

“So, where do you live?”

“Just a couple blocks in that direction,” he pointed to the south. “You?”

“Four blocks that way,” she pointed to the north. They both exchanged a look of surprise at how close they lived to each other before Kasamatsu broke the silence again.

“Would you like me to walk you home?” It was a brave question for him, but, with the way the day was transpiring, he felt brave. He knew that even if the girl said no, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. She’d still want to talk to him; she’d still want to be his friend.

“That’d be nice, thank you.”

The sun was only beginning its descent, signaling that (f/n) still had time for a nice muscle relaxing bath to prepare her for the week. She was excited for that. Looking to her left, she smiled. She was glad that Kasamatsu was opening up to her. This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

After a short walk, the pair arrived at the front steps of (f/n)’s apartment. They awkwardly stood there, both of them at a loss for what to say. (f/n) decided to shatter the silence with something she’d said many times throughout the day.

“I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too.”

“I’m glad that we live so close together.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I guess I should head on in. Thank you for walking me. I’ll text you after I have a nice long bath. I think I deserve it now.”

“You’re welcome. Have a nice afternoon.”

“You too.”

“Goodbye.”

“Bye, Kasamatsu.”

With that, she unlocked her door and stepped inside. Orion greeted her at the door before slinking off to the couch. A happy sigh escaping her mouth, (f/n) made her way to the bathroom for that warm bath.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day was normal, school passing by as always. (f/n) was very pleased that she had finished her homework while still in the classroom, and she was excited to spend the afternoon with Kise.

As she was heading out the door of Seirin, a voice called for her from her left. It was Kise, a hat on his head and sunglasses perched on his model nose. His disguise was amusing, but it seemed to work. He was being ignored.

“Ryouta? What are you doing here?”

The blonde walked over and took her hand in his, beginning their journey to the restaurant he had mentioned the day before.

“Well, I know we said we’d meet at the restaurant, but I thought it’d be nice to walk you there.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“No problem.”

After a medium length walk, the pair stood before an Italian restaurant, and the girl almost laughed. She had just had Italian the day before with Kasamatsu, but she wouldn’t complain. Italian was always good. Soon, the two were seated and had ordered. Kise ordered the spaghetti, whereas (f/n) opted for the Alfredo.

“So, Coach said that he wouldn’t mind you joining the team! I’m pretty sure he was impressed with how good you are, (f/n)-chan!”

The girl almost choked right then and there. That man actually thought she’d be good for his team? She was banking on the fact that he was just being polite and wasn’t even going to consider her, but now she had to say no to Kise herself. Why cruel world?

“Really?”

“Yeah, he said you definitely had what Kaijo wants. And I told him that you hadn’t even shown your true skill.”

Wow, how was she supposed to reply to this? She wouldn’t have minded going to Kaijo earlier. Plus, she’d get to see Kasamatsu in his element all the time… No… Now that she had grown a bit with Seirin, she didn’t want to leave them behind. They were a great team, and they’d only get better. She wanted to be there for it.

“Ryouta, I’m flattered…” She made eye contact with those puppy eyes of his, and she knew she couldn’t just break his heart right there. “I’ll think about it, alright? I need some time.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

Their food was placed in front of them, and they ate in silence for a bit. That was until Kise let a question fall from his lips.

“Can I ask for your advice?” He was oddly serious, so (f/n) just nodded in reply. He took a deep breath. He stared at his food. He was nervous. “I’m still bothered by our loss the other day, and I don’t know what to do about it. I feel like no one would understand because not many people have never lost before.”

“Well, I understand it must be odd for you. Your world has changed. You can’t expect to always win anymore. So you need to channel yourself into practicing and forming teamwork with those around you. Work together. Lean on your teammates when you need to. Losing doesn’t have to mean failure. It can be something you learn from and change.”

Kise’s eyes softened, and his smile was genuine. “Thanks, (f/n)-chan. You always know the right thing to say.” He looked away for a minute, thought evident on his features. Then, he turned back. “Have you spoken to them?”

It was (f/n)’s turn to look away. “No, I haven’t.”

The blonde nodded. “Maybe you shouldn’t.”

She stared at the man. “Why?”

“Well, they’ve changed since you left. You… might not like them as much.”

“How so?”

“I think it’s best for you to keep your memories the way they are.”

A semi-uncomfortable silence wrapped itself around the two. They paid for their food, left the establishment, and began aimlessly walking without a word. Soon, they were being followed. It seemed Kise’s disguise wasn’t as good as he had thought. They stopped at a park, a large group surrounding the blonde, and (f/n) was pushed out of the circle. With an amused sigh, she shuffled over to a wall surrounding a tree and sat herself down. The shade was nice. She took out her phone; she scrolled to a specific contact; she started to type.

Hey, do you think I could pick your brain a bit?  
  


Surprisingly, Kasamatsu was quick to reply. She had thought he’d be practicing or doing homework, but she wouldn’t complain.

Yeah, what’s up?  
  
Well, I’m just stuck thinking of something Ryouta told me a bit ago  
  
You’re with Kise?  
  
Yeah, we were hanging out, but his fans saw through his disguise so I have to wait for him to sign autographs or whatever. Probably gonna take a while  
  
You really can’t go anywhere with him.  
  
Yeah lol  
  
So what was it that he said?  
  
Well, he asked me if I had spoken to the others, I said no, and he said, “maybe you shouldn’t.” When I asked why, he said they’d changed. And I’m just stuck wondering what he could mean by that  
  
Maybe they’ve let everything get to their heads like Kise. I mean, he basically thought everything would bend to his will or whatever. So maybe they got even worse than he did.  
  


(f/n) thought on that a bit, and she realized that was plausible. She’d always wondered how they’d stayed so normal. Maybe they weren’t normal anymore.

I’m not sure what I’ll do when we play one of their teams. What if I don’t even recognize them?  
  
Then it’ll be like meeting a new person. You’ll just have to separate the past from the present if they’ve become completely different from before.  
  
I don’t think I’ll be good at that…  
  
Why?  
  
It hurts to know they might not be the people I knew anymore. I feel like it’ll hurt more to see it become reality  
  
Well, I’ll be here if you need me.  
  


A happy smile curved her lips. She was glad she’d found someone like Kasamatsu to talk to. He was a great friend. She hoped he thought the same of her.

Thank you, Kasamatsu  
  
You’re welcome.  
  
So what’s up Cap? I’d figured you’d be busy right now?  
  
Nothing really. Just thinking.  
  
Whatcha thinking about?  
  
Just about how our team could get better. I still can’t believe you guys beat us.  
  
Well, you need to expect everything. I still can’t get over your face when Tetsuya stole the ball from you lol  
  


* * *

Kasamatsu was laying on his bed, just staring at the ceiling when he had received her text. He was glad she’d waltzed into his life. It was nice.

When he read her last text, he felt embarrassment, but he realized she was right. His team really hadn’t prepared for anyone to start the game off with a steal. He’d have to think about that more. Then, he thought about a moment of the game that he himself found funny, and he gained some confidence.

That’s not as amusing as the face you made when I made that three.  
  


He couldn’t believe he hit send on that, but he’d have to live with whatever consequences he’d brought upon himself.

* * *

(f/n) smiled down at her phone, Kasamatsu’s last text bringing a tiny blush to her cheeks.

What can I say? I was impressed  
  
I was impressed too.  
  
By your own three?  
  
No. By yours. Both of them.  
  
I live to impress. But yeah, that reminds me, I have something else to ask you  
  
What’s that?  
  


* * *

The man was sitting up at this point, his entire focus on the conversation resting in his hand. 

Ryouta said that your coach was “impressed” with me and that I would be useful to your team. I don’t really know what to do with that information  
  


Kasamatsu might have had a hand in that. When his coach had asked him what he thought of (f/n) after their ‘tour,’ he’d been honest. He’d told him that he found her interesting, and that she had a good overall view of the sport. He told him that she’d seemed reliable, that she probably worked well with a team, and that he wanted to see how she played. Of course, after they’d seen what she could bring to the court, all of Kaijo was intrigued. What could he say? He definitely wouldn’t mind her being on his team. He could see himself being more confident, what with her praises to his leadership and skills. However, he remembered what she’d said when they’d first met, and he knew she’d feel terrible if she left Seirin at this point. He decided to just tell the truth again.

Well, I can’t say I wouldn’t like having you on my team. And you would definitely be useful. But I know that you have already fit yourself in the machine that is Seirin, and you don’t want them to be missing a part and completely stop working, so I think you should just tell Kise the truth. If he doesn’t understand right away, he will at some point. I’d like to think he’s not that stupid.  
  


* * *

(f/n) laughed breathily. Kasamatsu was right yet again. She was glad she had someone so insightful to talk to.

Thank you again. You’re just full of good advice, huh?  
  
I try.  
  


“Who are you talking to?”

Kise was standing in front of her, craning his neck to peek at her phone. She placed the device in her pocket.

“No one.”

“It can’t be no one!” he exclaimed. “You were smiling down at your phone and typing away! It has to be someone special.”

“How do you know?”

“I glanced at you from time to time. Also, sorry about all that. I hate to turn them away, but I just wish they’d leave me alone sometimes.”

“It’s alright.”

“Do you want me to walk you home?”

“Sure.”

They fell into step beside each other, the sounds of their steps beating out a tune to let others know they were approaching. After a couple blocks, Kise asked the question again.

“Who were you texting? And don’t say ‘no one’ again, or I’ll be mad.”

“Oh no, I can’t make _ the _Kise Ryouta mad.”

“Exactly, so tell me.”

“Fine, fine. It was Kasamatsu.”

“Senpai is actually talking to you?!”

She was surprised by Kise’s sudden shock. She knew he’d be surprised, but not to this extent. “Yeah?”

“He never talks to girls! It’s like he’s afraid of them.”

Nodding, (f/n) kept walking, her apartment not too far away. “Yeah, he did seem shy.”

“Does he talk to you in person too?”

“Yeah, but he stutters sometimes.”

“I’m so proud of him!”

Laughing, the two kept walking. Soon, they stood before (f/n)’s apartment. It was starting to get dark, so (f/n) decided to hurry with what she had to say so Kise could head on home.

“Ryouta, I need to tell you something.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I don’t think I’m going to join your team. I’ve already become a part of Seirin, and I don’t want to betray them like that. It’d be like Kasamatsu leaving your team for mine. It’d leave a hole. Do you understand?”

Kise’s eyes were downcast, but he nodded. “Yeah, I understand.”

“We can still hang out like this, and we’ll get to play against each other again, which will be fun.”

“Yeah! I look forward to it.” Kise became playfully serious before declaring, “You won’t beat me again.”

“Wanna bet?”

They laughed before parting ways. 


	7. Chapter 7

The next practice brought a bit of stress.

“The Inter High qualifiers are soon!” yelled Hyuga.

“The qualifiers start as soon as Golden Week’s over. It’s soon, right?”

“We’ve only got three weeks?”

“Didn’t the upperclassmen make it all the way to the finals league? And this year we’ve added Kagami, Kuroko, and (f/n). The first two games should be a breeze.” Upon hearing Furihata’s words, Hyuga hit his head.

“Dummies, what are you saying?”

“Sorry…”

“In this tournament, one loss means you’re out. So, whether it’s the final match or the first one, don’t get cocky.”

At that, Fukuda stepped through the gymnasium doors, a stack of papers in his hands. “Captain, I’m back with the copies of the qualifiers roster.”

“Great, pass ‘em out to everyone.”

Once she had a roster in her hand, (f/n) looked over it. Shutoku was on the opposite side of Seirin, so they’d have to play them in the final match, if any.

“Lotta teams on this giant chart… and a second page?!”

“There are four blocks, A through D. Only the top school in each block advances to the finals league. And only the top three from the finals league make it to the Inter High.”

Izuki continued for Hyuga. “Three hundred schools enter, but only three are chosen. It’s the dream stage for the one percent and the chosen players. That’s the reality of Inter High.”

Kagami nodded. “I think I’ve pretty much got it, but you have one thing wrong.” His face turned serious. “They aren’t chosen. They win.”

Suddenly, Riko walked in. “I’m back.”

Hyuga turned. “Oh, it’s Coach.” He observed her for a second.

“You were skipping around when it came to Kaijo, so why not now?” asked Kawahara.

“Yeah, what’s got you down, Coach?” added Furihata.

“Skip?! As if!” Honestly, she looked peeved. Hyuga shook his head at the surprised first years.

“We can’t be so nonchalant when it comes to official games, idiots.” He turned his attention to Riko again. “Still, I can tell something’s up. Are our opponents that strong?”

Nodding, Riko relented, “There’s one player who’s cause for concern.” Sighing, she placed her hands on her hips. “I’ll show you the scouting footage later, but, for now, look at this picture.” With that, she handed her phone to Hyuga, and everyone gathered round.

“This is…” It was a picture of a kitten. (f/n) couldn’t help but “aw” at its cuteness. “So cute, but…?”

Riko waved her hand in frustration. “Sorry, sorry, it’s the next one.”

Hyuga hit the ‘next button’ and almost had a stroke. Everyone was intimidated just by the photo. It was of an enormous man with dark skin.

“His name is Papa Mbayesiki. He’s six foot seven and weighs 192 pounds. He’s an exchange student from Senegal.”

“So tall!”

“How’s that even possible?!”

Kagami looked unamused. “He’s tall. So what?”

“So this Papa… what was it again?”

“Papa Mba…”

“Enough already! Kuroko-kun, you come up with a nickname for this Papa guy.”

“Papa…” he thought for a second. “Daddy.”

Everyone keeled over laughing. What an absurd nickname.

“Yeah, I’m not calling that guy ‘Daddy,’” whispered (f/n) to Izuki next to her. He was still a chuckling mess. Even the worst of jokes seemed to make him laugh.

“Anyway,” started Riko, “this… Daddy guy…” She frowned at her laughing team. “Listen up!” Everyone quieted. “It’s more than just his height. His wingspan is massive. He brings new meaning to the word tall!” She sighed. “There are more and more schools using exchange students to boost their power. Up until last year, our next opponent, Shinkyo Academy, was only average when it came to basketball. But with the addition of this single player, they’re like a team reborn. No one can match up to him… so that means no one can stop him.” Everyone was silent, nervous. Riko backtracked. “I’m not saying we won’t try though! In this case… Kagami-kun, Kuroko-kun, and (l/n)-chan, you three get a special training regimen starting tomorrow. Our first qualifier match is May 16! Until then, no time to slack off or whine!”

“Yeah!”

* * *

On the night of May 15, (f/n) lay in bed, tossing and turning. She couldn’t sleep. If it was because of fear or excitement, she didn’t know. All she knew was she couldn’t close her eyes and _ not _ think about the upcoming game.

The training regimen she, Kagami, and Kuroko were on was tough, but she had managed. She still hadn’t told anyone about her weakened knees, but she didn’t feel the need to. She’d push through alright.

However, she couldn’t help but worry about the other team’s giant. His height reminded her too much of Murasakibara. She supposed she could handle it with her knowledge of the man of purple hair, but that didn’t make her any less nervous.

She wanted to talk to someone about it, but she didn’t think anyone would be awake at such a late time. Against her better judgment, she grabbed her phone off her nightstand and scrolled through her contacts. Her eyes fell on Kasamatsu’s name. It had been a while since they’d last spoken; she was too caught up in practice, and he probably was too. After a few seconds of contemplation, she decided to message him.

Hey, I can’t sleep and was just hoping you’d be up too  
  


With a sigh, she dropped the phone. Of course he wouldn’t be awake. He seemed like an early riser and early sleeper. There was no way he’d respond so late at night.

Hey, yeah I’m up.  
  


She was surprised to say the least.

Wow, that’s surprising. Why are you awake?  
  
Can’t stop thinking about our match tomorrow.  
  
Same  
  
I know we’ll probably win, but I always have trouble sleeping before games.  
  
Not same  
  
What do you mean?  
  
Well, I’m not sure we’ll win. The other team has this giant on their roster and I’m not sure we can stop him. He’s 6 foot 7  
  
Well, just remember that you have your team behind you. As long as you work together well, you’ll stand a chance. And I’m here if you need advice.  
  


* * *

Kasamatsu had been staring at his ceiling again when her message lit up his room. It seemed like his ceiling caused her to text him, but he wouldn’t complain. He could never fall asleep before a game. It felt like there was all this pent up energy inside him just aching to get out, but he had to hold it in until the game.

Thank you, Kasamatsu. I’m here for you too. So who are you playing?  
  
Kana High. They’re not amazing, but it should be a fun game.  
  
Well good luck :) ...I’m still not tired  
  
Neither am I.  
  
So how was your day?  
  
Pretty normal. Kise got at least five confessions that I know of, I made an A on my math test, and my team practiced for an hour or so. Yours?  
  
Ohhh congrats on the A. I had to do a presentation in English, which was easy besides the fact that I don’t like standing in front of the class. I always get nervous  
  
You probably did great.  
  
Thanks. So you mentioned Ryouta got five confessions?  
  


The man sighed, the memory irking him a bit. Why did so many girls confess to Kise? He wasn’t that great.

Yeah, I don’t understand why they all confess to him when he’s yet to accept any of them.  
  
They probably just like him for his looks, which is sad. Ryouta’s a great guy  
  
If you say so.  
  
Have you ever gotten a confession?  
  


He felt embarrassment creeping up his neck at the question. Had he? He couldn’t remember any.

Nope.  
  


* * *

(f/n) honestly couldn’t believe that. How could Kaijo’s own captain never receive a confession? Then again, she hadn’t either.

That’s hard to believe  
  
Why?  
  


What was she supposed to say to that? She thought he was a great guy, but any other answer would seem more than platonic. She wasn’t about to make a list of his good qualities…

You’re a great guy. At least one girl has to like you  
  


There, she voiced her opinion and didn’t make it awkward.

Well, I’ve never heard about one.  
  
If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never been confessed to either  
  
Now that’s actually unbelievable.  
  


* * *

The thought that she’d never received a confession really boggled his mind. She was a category of her own; she had to stand out to someone, right?

It’s alright. It’ll happen when it wants to. I just have to be patient. Anyways, what time is your match at?  
  
Eleven.  
  
Mine’s at 10. Would you want to do something after we both win? :)  
  
Alright. We should probably try to sleep now. It’s getting really late.  
  
Yeah, I guess so. Goodnight, Kasamatsu. I hope you sleep well  
  
Goodnight, (l/n). Good luck tomorrow.  
  


Yawning, he set his phone on his nightstand and laid on his back. His eyes stared into the middle distance, his mind on the following day. He had two things to look forward to: a win and an afternoon with (f/n).

She really was becoming a staple in his life. They’d been texting for the past three weeks, getting to know each other better. He knew all of her favorite things. He knew more about her than he knew about some of his teammates. Honestly, he wished he knew more. He didn’t know why, though. He was just glad he had someone like her in his life. She was kind and positive and everything someone would want in a friend.

He went to sleep thinking of her.


	8. Chapter 8

When (f/n) arrived at Seirin’s meeting spot, she was a bit exhausted, but excited nonetheless. When she looked at Kagami, she felt a bit better. At least her eyes weren’t bloodshot.

They all walked into the gym and were surprised to find no sign of “Daddy.” Well, that was until they heard a bang and a “Sorry I’m late.”

It was the giant himself, bending to fit through the door frame that he had just hit his head on. In person, he looked even more intimidating. While everyone was distracted by the tower of a man, one of the Shinkyo players approached Hyuga.

“Hey, is it true you guys beat Kaijo?”

Hyuga shook his head a little. “It was just a practice game.”

“That all? Nothing special, then.”

Papa approached, asking, “Kaijo?”

Turning a bit, the other Shinkyo player explained, “I told you about them. They have one of the Generation of Miracles.”

The giant was perplexed. “Generation of Miracles… They lost? I was brought here to beat them, but they’re that weak? Very disappointing…”

With that, Papa began walking away, but was surprised when he hit something. Looking down, he noticed Kuroko in his path, Kagami and (f/n) standing nearby. He picked Kuroko up.

“That’s no good. No children allowed on the court…” He noticed the blue haired man’s attire. “You’re a player?”

Annoyed, he let loose his hold and walked to his team, asking, “How could they lose to a team with a child? Are the Generation of Miracles children?”

The other player from before, presumably the captain, laughed. “Maybe! Plus,” he turned and looked at Seirin again, “they have a girl on their team. How strong could they be?” Snickering, the opposing team wandered to their bench.

Kuroko, unsurprisingly, was unamused. “To be honest… that pissed me off.” The rest of Seirin were chuckling at the absurdity. Well, everyone except (f/n). She felt anger welling up inside of her, an anger she knew all too well.

“I’m gonna show those…” She trailed off into anger laced mutters, her eyebrows pulled downwards.

Kagami grinned, addressing his insulted teammates. “Let’s teach them and Daddy that things can get bad when you make a woman and child mad!”

“That was oddly poetic.”

* * *

Riko was puzzled when Kuroko and (f/n) approached her. “You both want to be starters? Kuroko-kun, aren’t your minutes limited? And, (l/n)-chan, our plan was for you to go in in the second quarter.”

“Please.”

“Well, I guess I can put Kuroko-kun in, but I’d rather wait on you,” she looked to the (h/c). “We need to watch the flow of the game and strategize accordingly.”

(f/n) sighed. “I understand.”

The coach turned to the phantom player again. “You’re supposed to be our trump card, so if you mess up out there, we’re sunk. Try to at least get a ten point lead in the first quarter!”

With that, the starters ambled to the center of the court, and the rest of the team sat themselves on their bench. (f/n) was beside Riko. She looked to her coach, who smiled back at her.

“Don’t worry, (l/n)-chan, we’ll show them what women are capable of.” (f/n) grinned back.

Soon, the ball was thrown up by the referee, and Papa and Kagami were jumping for possession. Papa’s reach was just greater, and he won the jump ball. When the Shinkyo team got to their offensive end of the court, Papa just went up for a shot with no warning. Kagami jumped to block. He didn’t jump high enough.

When Seirin brought the ball down, Hyuga was open, and he went up for his famous three pointer. It was blocked. Even though he was almost seven feet away, Papa was able to jump and snatch the ball right out of the air. How were they supposed to beat this giant?

Furihata and Kawahara were not impressed. “That’s garbage.”

“Totally unfair having a foreign player.”

Shinkyo’s captain heard that and turned to Hyuga. “Are you Seirin kids all about fair play? There are plenty out there like that. They say, ‘Having a foreign player’s just unfair!’ But it’s not a violation of the rules. What’s so wrong about recruiting a good player? It just makes our lives easier. We just pass to him, and he scores… You saying you wouldn’t take the easy win?”

Hyuga scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know about easy. But if that’s your attitude, don’t be disappointed later on. We’ve got some pretty wild players as well. We didn’t recruit them, though…”

On the bench, (f/n)’s anger was returning. Their basketball philosophy was all wrong! How could they get off saying having a good player made their lives easier. They’re just using him and sitting back! By “making their lives easier” they just mean they’re pushing the work on someone else. She just wished Kasamatsu was there to kick some sense into them; he’d reject their ideas as well.

She couldn’t wait to get in there and wipe that confident look off all of their faces.

Beside her, Riko was grinning. “It’s a good thing we had Kagami train with Mitobe. Look!” At that moment, Papa missed another shot. “He can’t make anything right now. Kagami’s pressure is throwing him off.” Kagami was guarding Papa so hard that he had no way of going where he wanted.

Papa wasn’t pleased. “What is this?! I’m getting mad!”

His captain tried to calm him. “Don’t get discouraged. It’s not like he’s actually blocking you. Defense!”

Izuki made a pass straight for Papa, who thought it was an easy steal, but Kuroko redirected it through the giant’s legs and to Kagami who dunked it with full force. The Seirin bench was alive with shouts.

“Yeah!”

After that, it was like Pandora’s box was open. Kuroko was taking Riko’s words to heart; they’d get a 10 point lead by the end of the first quarter. Over and over, Seirin used their trump card and scored relentlessly on the overwhelmed Shinkyo team. It was like Kuroko was saying, “How do you like me now?” (f/n) wanted some of that action.

The first quarter was over with a score of 8-23.

Riko crouched in front of her team, a look of thought adorning her features. “This is where it gets tricky. Kuroko-kun, switch out with (l/n)-chan.” He nodded in response. “We need to give him a rest now. Our offense is gonna slow down in the meantime, so try to focus on defense. Kagami-kun, stick on Daddy like glue. Don’t give him an inch! You’re the only one with a chance of meeting him height wise.”

“Leave it to me!”

When the second quarter started, it was like Papa had a fire under him. He was jumping higher than ever and scoring. However, Kagami had the same fire and was jumping higher with each face off.

(f/n) was frustrated that it was a primarily in-the-paint game. She just wasn’t tall enough for any of that. She asked Izuki if she could bring the ball down next, and he agreed.

When she got down the court, she noticed no openings beside herself. They really were underestimating her, huh? Even her guard wasn’t giving her much pressure. With a glare, she decided they’d be eating their words from before. A girl only makes a team stronger.

So, standing just in front of the half court line, she began her ascent. She put as much power into her jump as she could, as if to tell everyone to look at her, and she shot a shot not unlike Midorima’s. It had incredible arch, flying higher than any shot her team had seen her make before. The hang time was almost too long, but, after a few seconds, the ball flew through the hoop with a swish.

Take that.

“Yeah, (l/n)!”

“I didn’t know she could shoot like that!”

Shinkyo definitely looked surprised as they brought the ball down. Yeah, they weren’t expecting that. Nice. She knew she’d need to make all her shots now. It wouldn’t be long until she’d be subbed out again. With that in mind, she backed off the guy she was guarding, and, as predicted, the ball was passed to him. It never made it. She intercepted it and began a fast break, her legs carrying her as fast as they could. When she got close to the goal, she reversed her movement, backing up and around the guards that kept moving forward. With that opening, she shot the ball for two points.

After some more back and forth, it was 51-60 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Kuroko was subbed in for (f/n), and she was happy with her contribution of 13 points.

The tides of the game shifted when Kuroko started his passing again. Papa became irate toward the end of the fourth quarter. When he got the ball, he shouted, “I can’t lose!”

Kagami jumped to block, and it was successful. Unsurprisingly, Papa was dumbfounded when the ball whizzed out of his grip. That was the last straw for Shinkyo.

Seirin won, 67-79. They were all elated. After a trip to the locker room and a thank you to the other team, they began to walk out of the gym. Papa stopped them, though.

“I lost… Keep trying hard, in my place…”

Kagami was surprised. “Oh, okay…”

“Ha, you wish I would say that, you fools! I won’t lose next time!”

A little unnerved, they stepped out of the gym. Once out of the sight of the other team, they cheered. They were elated.

Riko grinned. “Well, everyone, head home and get some rest. You all deserve it.”

With a smile on her face, (f/n) said goodbye to everyone and made her way to the train station. Kasamatsu’s match wasn’t too far from hers, probably ten minutes. Since it’d started an hour after hers, she could probably make it for the fourth quarter.

She was right. She walked in at the beginning of the fourth quarter. She found a seat near the top of the bleachers, setting her sports bag beside her. The score was 78-45 with Kaijo in the lead.

(f/n) grinned when she spotted Kaijo’s captain bringing the ball down. His brows were furrowed and his eyes were alert. He really was in his element. He noticed his opening and took it. The ball left his hands for a perfect three pointer, and a little smile tugged at his lips when the net made that desirable swishing sound.

He really loved the game.

Unsurprisingly, Kise was on the bench. He probably played for the first quarter before being taken out because of their lead. He didn’t seem to mind, however. He was loudly cheering for his teammates, a smile on his face.

Soon, the game was over, and both teams headed for their locker rooms. (f/n) felt a little awkward waiting in the stands as so many people were leaving. Well, everyone besides Kise’s obvious fangirls were leaving. Thankfully, the teams didn’t take too long to clean up and get back on the court for their thank you’s. When all of that was said and done, (f/n) walked down the stairs to the court. She could feel some eyes on her. She ignored them.

Kise noticed her first, screaming her name as he ran to her. She stopped him before he hugged her. She didn’t want to be on his fans’ hit list.

“What are you doing here, (f/n)-chan?”

“Well, my match finished a little while ago, and I decided to come see how yours finished.” She didn’t want to tell him the real reason. He’d probably freak out a little more than necessary and just make it awkward.

“How’d your game turn out?”

“We won. I scored 13 points in the small amount of time I was in. It was a game of height.”

Kasamatsu was lingering nearby, starting to walk over when he heard their conversation.

“Yeah, you’re a little on the short side,” Kise laughed. (f/n) smacked his arm.

“I’m happy with my height, thank you very much.”

“I guess I am too. I like being taller than you.”

“Shut up.”

He laughed again. “Well, I’m proud of you (f/n)-chan. Scoring 13 points against a tall team is impressive.”

“Thanks, Ryouta.” Noticing Kasamatsu standing stiffly a few feet away, she waved. “Hey, Captain. Nice game.”

“Thanks.”

Kise gave a knowing look in his captain’s direction before excusing himself to talk to his other teammates. (f/n) smiled at her friend.

“I only saw the last six minutes, but you played amazingly.”

Kasamatsu rubbed his neck and adjusted the collar of his jacket. “Thanks. Sounded like you played pretty great yourself.”

“I don’t know. I wish I could’ve played longer, but that’s with every game I guess.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

“So, are you ready to go?”

“If you are.”

With that, the two walked to the exit of the gym. They definitely caught the eye of Kaijo, however, who were dumbstruck at their captain leaving with a girl.

“So, I was thinking we could eat somewhere around here and then take the train back to my place to watch a movie or something. Does that sound alright?”

“Yeah.”

In the distance was a traditional restaurant, and the two made their way inside and were seated fairly quickly. Their orders also arrived in a swift manner, and they hurriedly dug in.

“So, how did the rest of your game go?”

Kasamatsu finished the bite he had just taken before answering “Well, Kana was pretty good right off the bat, but I think they just ran out of energy. Plus we played Kise during the first quarter. That probably took a toll on their mentality. But they scored some good points on us. I finished with 20 points.”

“Wow, I wish I could’ve seen the whole match. Do you think your next match will be closer?”

“We play Shin Academy next. I’ve heard they have some pretty strong players, but we’ll just have to wait and see.” He took a sip of water. “So, what about your game?”

“You know that Papa guy I told you about? The giant?”

“Yeah.”

“He thought Kuroko was a child, and they insulted our team by saying we couldn’t be that good if we had a child and a girl, and they said the Generation of Miracles must be weaker than they thought if we beat you guys. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been that mad in a while… Oh, they even said that them recruiting a foreigner made their lives easier because they could just pass the ball to him and he’d score. What kind of basketball player says that? What’s the point of playing if you just want someone else to do the brunt of the work?”

The man across from her furrowed his brows. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. They really said that?”

“Yeah, I honestly wished you were there to kick some sense into them.” She laughed.

Smiling a little, Kasamatsu continued eating. (f/n) followed suit. Soon, they were on the train back to the area that they lived in. The short ride was silent but comfortable. The pair watched the scenery flying past the windows of the train. They were content.

Side by side, they walked the short distance to the girl’s apartment, and she opened the door with a smile. “Welcome to my humble abode.”

Nervous, Kasamatsu nodded his thanks and removed his shoes at the door. (f/n) instructed him to set his stuff down on the table while she got them both some tea. The man looked around. He’d never been in a girl’s home, so his heart was rapid in response.

Calm down.

She handed him a cup with a smile and made her way to the couch. He followed. “So, how about that movie?”

* * *

Kasamatsu sat stiffly through the entire duration of the movie. When the final credits started to roll, he sighed. He thought he was finally getting less nervous and more comfortable around the girl, but her inviting him into her house was a curve ball he didn’t know how to hit. Looking to the other side of the couch, he felt his breath hitch in his throat.

There, just a few feet from him, was (f/n), breathing steady and eyes closed. She’d probably been asleep for a while, but he hadn’t noticed because he was so invested in calming himself. What was he supposed to do now? He didn’t want to leave because the door would be unlocked, but he didn’t want to wake her. She looked far too peaceful. The lack of sleep the night before and the exertion of that day’s game must have really taken a toll on her.

He decided to wake her, as much as he hated to. With a sigh, he shook her shoulder. She stirred. A deep breath escaped her. Her eyes opened. “Kasamatsu?”

“You fell asleep during the movie.”

“Oh… I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s alright. Sorry I had to wake you.”

She smiled. “It’s fine. I guess you probably want to head home now, huh? You must be tired too.”

He shook his head. “I’m not that tired, but, yeah, I probably should. Thanks for having me over.”

“You’re welcome anytime.”

With that, they stood to approach the door, Kasamatsu’s bag slung over his shoulder. “Be safe, Cap, and have a good night.”

“You too.”

With a wave, (f/n) shut the door behind him. As he was walking to his own home, he thought on the day. It was definitely good. He was certainly surprised (f/n) felt relaxed enough to fall asleep in his presence, but he supposed they were becoming close friends. He smiled.

They both got a good friend from that stupid situation Kise put her in.


	9. Chapter 9

Seirin’s next two games went by with ease. Their strategy of using Kuroko in the first quarter, subbing him out with (f/n), then bringing him back in for the fourth quarter was really paying off.

For their fourth match, they found themselves in a huge gym. There was another court opposite their own. Everyone looked amazed at the grandeur of the building.

“Is this really a school gym?”

Riko glanced around. “It’s one of the best schools in the heart of the city. Because of that, you’ll see something special today.”

Hyuga was next to speak, a serious look overtaking his features. “The three schools that go on to represent Tokyo… Well, it’s been the same three for the past ten years: the King of the East, Shutoku; the King of the North, Seiho; the King of the West, Senshinkan. The top school varies from year to year because of how close they are, but the struggle among the three shuts everyone else out. They’re the undisputed Kings of Tokyo.”

Riko nodded. “There’ll be a game on both of these courts today. Opposite us will be a seeded school that usually plays somewhere else. And they are recently joined by Midorima Shintarou of the Generation of Miracles. Today we’ll see the East King, Shutoku High.”

Kawahara spoke up, “But the second years made it to the finals league last year, right?”

Staring ahead blankly, Hyuga nodded. “Yeah, but we didn’t make much of a showing.” Suddenly, the captain’s eyes shot back into a determined state, and he stood. “We’ve been training all year to make up for that loss! And we’ve got powerful new teammates! We’re going all the way this year!” He eyed his team. “For now, we need to worry about the game at hand. Focus on—”

He was interrupted by a group of guys walking past. “Hey, looks like our opponents today will be Seirin! This’ll be a cinch! They’re the ones that got the crap beat out of them in the finals league last year.”

“Doesn’t mean much that they ended up facing the Kings.”

“Yeah, they probably got there by accident.”

A look of realization crossed Kagami’s face, and he approached them. Kuroko was close behind him.

“They won’t get that far this year, it’ll be our chance to—”

“Hey, we meet again.”

The leader of the bunch met Kagami’s fiery eyes, and they all seemed to panic. Had they met before?

They must have, because they looked scared the entire match. Seirin easily won, 108-41. Everyone got to play, which was a nice contrast to the other matches.

As Seirin was cooling off, a new group entered the court. They were adorned in orange. Somehow, it looked intimidating on them.

“They’re finally here… Shutoku.”

Kagami smirked. “I’m gonna go say hi.”

Hyuga nodded dismissively. “Yeah… Wait, what?! That idiot!” He tried to stop the redhead, but he was already there. Kuroko, yet again, was close behind him. (f/n) was too nervous to approach her former teammate. She stayed near the bench, watching from afar.

“Hey, you Midorima Shintarou?”

The formidable shooter nodded. “Yes, I am. And who might you be?” He had a stuffed bear in his hand. (f/n) guessed it was his lucky item. He always was a horoscope dork, and it didn’t seem like that would change anytime soon.

“Kagami Taiga.” He held out his hand, and Midorima reluctantly held out his own… for Kagami to sign it. “Judging by your face, you’re the type of guy to say ‘I won’t remember your name anyway’ if I introduced myself normally, but you better remember my name because I’ll be taking revenge for my upperclassmen.”

“Revenge? What a reckless proclamation.” The Shutoku player adjusted his glasses.

His teammate approached from behind, his black hair parted in the middle and an impish grin on his face. “You’re from Seirin, right? I don’t remember hearing a peep from your upperclassmen.” He shook his head a little. “In all of Seirin’s matches against the Three Kings last year, their opponents tore them to shreds by tripling their score.”

(f/n) looked to her teammates to see clenched fists and serious faces. Midorima stared Kagami down. “You’re free to try for revenge, but the gap between us is overwhelming. If by chance you do make it to the finals, we’ll only see history repeat itself.”

At those words, Kuroko made himself known. “You can only make predictions based on history. Until we actually play, you can’t be sure of anything, Midorima-kun.”

The green haired man narrowed his eyes. “Kuroko, as always, you vex me, especially with those eyes. I can never tell what you’re thinking. There are many things I’d like to say to you, but to say them here would be futile. So first, come face me in the finals.” His eyes found his other former teammate, and she shyly smiled back at him. He only nodded at her.

They never were too close, only talking about schoolwork or basketball. Perhaps her star sign caused his dismay with her, or he just didn’t like her. Either way, all of her attempts at friendship had seemed futile. He just preferred to have few connections, it seemed.

In that moment, the ravenette in orange wrapped an arm around Kuroko’s shoulders. “Dang, that was well said! You’re Shin-chan’s old teammate, right? Don’t mind him. He’s all bark and no bite. Besides, he actually had his eye on you. He went to your first preliminary match and—”

“Takao, you really should stop spouting nonsense.” The man now known as Takao frowned at Midorima. He was about to say something when his captain shouted.

“Always with the talking, you two! Let’s move!”

As Midorima made his way to his bench, he glanced back at his two former teammates. “Just watch. I’ll show you how naive your thinking really is.”

With that, Seirin cleared off the court and made their way to the stands to watch Shutoku’s match. (f/n) was sat beside Kuroko, and she felt excitement and fear coursing through her. She was ready to see just how far Midorima had come.

Shutoku really showed their prowess right out of the gate. Their teamwork was strong, as were their shots. It was no wonder why they were dubbed King of the East.

“Four minutes left in the second quarter with a thirty point gap. I guess we should’ve expected this.”

With wide eyes, Kawahara observed, “It’s not like they play much differently than we do. Their style is actually really simple, don’t ya think?”

Eyes never leaving the game, Hyuga replied, “It’s because they never miss. Basketball has always been a high speed game where the ball constantly changes sides. It’s rare for anyone to bungle passes. But this team is good at running, passing, and shooting without exception. They take the fundamentals and perfect them. So, the reason what they’re doing looks so simple is because they’ve got their basics down to a science.”

At that moment, Shutoku’s captain dunked over two of his opponents. Everyone was in awe.

“You see that dunk?”

“Is he even in high school?!”

Riko was deeply serious. “It seems that they’re even stronger than last year.”

Hyuga nodded. “Yeah, that guy _ alone _was too much for us last year…”

Two seats down from (f/n), Kagami spoke up. “They’re all on fire, especially Midorima.”

Looking to him, Kuroko asked, “Is that so?”

“How would I know?! You two are the ones who’ve played with him.”

(f/n) looked back to the court. “In the time that I played with him, he never missed.”

Kagami was shocked as Kuroko continued. “Even after you left, he never missed a shot, and his range was the half court.”

The redhead beside the two Teikou teammates shook his head. “Never seen him miss? That can’t be right…”

It was as if Midorima could hear them, for he went up for a three pointer at that moment. His form was perfect, and the ball left his hand to fly in an impossibly high arch. That arch was even higher than (f/n) had ever seen him attempt. Just how far was his range now? When the ball hit its highest point, Midorima turned to head back to defense. It swished.

Kuroko looked a bit solemn. “As long as his form is perfect, Midorima will always make his shots.”

“What a killer shot. Plus, he’s back on defense before the shot falls so you can’t counterattack,” observed Hyuga, deep in thought.

The coach nodded. “That hang time is insane. It has to take a toll on the other team’s psyche.”

The game ended 153-21 in Shutoku’s favor, not that anyone expected anything different. Midorima looked up at Seirin with an expression of multiple meanings.

Things were about to get difficult.

As Seirin was leaving, Hyuga mentioned heading home, only to receive a push from Riko.

“There’s another game today! Are you idiots really that dumb?!”

“I was just joking! We all read the schedule!”

“Another game?” Kagami was dumbfounded.

“You idiot, Kagami! Look at the schedule! Today and the final day each have two matches. Our fifth qualifier match is at 5 pm today!”

Koganei stretched and muttered, “Now that I think about it, two games in one day is a little rough… Even with a break, we’ll still be worn out.”

Kagami was busying himself looking at the schedule Riko shoved in his face. “Two matches… Does that mean we’ll face someone before Shutoku…?” His eyes widened as he looked up. “Who were the Three Kings again?”

“Shutoku, Seiho, and Senshinkan!”

Hyuga took the schedule and eyed it before staring off into the middle distance. Riko shook her head. “Come on! You second years didn’t realize it either?!”

Hyuga rubbed his neck. “Well, they’re usually in a different block, so…”

Staring everyone down, Riko said the words everyone dreaded. “On the final day, our semifinal match will be against Seiho, with a final match against Shutoku! It’s two Kings back to back!”

“You’re kidding!”

“Semifinal at one and final at five?!”

“Come on, you can’t blame us for complaining here!”

Laughing, Kagami seemed to steel his resolve. “Getting to play two games in one day? And they’re both tough opponents? Bring it on!”

“Yeah, Kagami’s officially nuts.”

“He’s gotta be bluffing, right Kuroko?!”

The phantom man shook his head a little. “Sorry, but I’m actually excited about this too…”

“What?!”

(f/n) grinned at her incredulous teammates. “I’m excited too! We get two chances to show everyone what Seirin’s made of!” The second years looked proud of their underclassmen as the team began their trek out the door.

“Well said, but before that, we’ve got our fifth match! Let’s pull it together and win this thing!”

The match was a little tough because they had just played a game four hours earlier. Everyone was a little dead on their feet. Thankfully, Hyuga riled everyone up, and their resolve was repaired. They won 89-87, a little too close for everyone’s liking, but they were glad to have continued on, no matter how tough the next day of matches would be.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, everyone was exhausted. (f/n) could almost hear her muscles screaming for rest every time she moved. How were they supposed to have energy when they played in the final?

During lunch, (f/n) almost choked on her own food when she spotted the mound of sandwiches on Kagami’s desk beside her.

Kuroko spoke up from behind them. “You’re eating more than usual.”

The redhead took another bite before replying. “Yeah, well, I don’t see how that’s enough for you. After those two games yesterday, aren’t you hungrier?”

“Well, my muscles ache.”

“Mine too.”

“Same here.”

Kagami stared at his hands. “Both teams yesterday were about at our level, maybe even lower, but it was still really close in the end, and it left us like this. Honestly, the next two games are gonna be rough…”

(f/n) nodded. “Yeah, but we made it. It gives me hope for the next match.” Kagami grinned in response.

“Kagami-kun, Kuroko-kun, (l/n)-chan! I’m glad you’re here! Come with me!” yelled Riko from the doorway. She was carrying two boxes, and, when the three approached, she handed them to Kagami and Kuroko. Kagami wasn’t pleased.

“You know we’re sore and you give us these?! You demon.”

“You won’t carry boxes for a maiden in need? C’mon, I know you boys are dependable!”

Kagami looked around. “The only maiden I see here is (l/n).” Both Riko and (f/n) hit Kagami because of his insult of the coach. “Ouch! What are these, anyways?”

“DVDs from the club room of last year’s games, this year’s too! They’re for scouting purposes.” She became serious. “We’re about to go up against two of the Kings. There’s no such thing as overanalysis!”

When the team sat down to watch the footage, (f/n) was surprised, to say the least. Seiho’s defense looked rock hard, but she had a feeling that she’d be able to get through. Call it a woman’s intuition.

Izuki furrowed his eyebrows beside her, and she looked to him. “Not like we didn’t already know, but this is gonna be a real challenge.”

Koganei nodded. “Yeah, sorry, but I already feel like crying…”

Riko stood up in front of her ‘class.’ “I hate to say it, but we’d lose to Seiho and Shutoku nine times out of ten. The trick is to make this time our one win!”

* * *

Unsurprisingly, (f/n) found it difficult to fall asleep the night before the semifinal and final games. It was 11 pm, and she knew she’d have a terrible time tomorrow if she didn’t get to sleep soon. With a sigh, she rolled over for perhaps the tenth time so far. Her eyes, refusing to stay closed, landed on her phone lying idle on her nightstand.

This time, she knew that Kasamatsu didn’t have a match the next day. It was highly unlikely he’d be awake, but she opened their string of messages anyways. She could always have hope.

I can’t sleep again  
  


Groaning, she dropped her phone on her chest and stared at the ceiling. How was she supposed to sleep when her team was facing two of the Kings the next day? Too many emotions were roaming through her mind. She was restless.

You’re lucky I’m awake then, huh?  
  


Her phone’s vibration against her chest almost stopped her heart. With a smile, she opened the message and nodded at the words. Hopefully that luck would transfer to tomorrow, too.

Yeah I am. Why are you up anyways? You don’t have a match tomorrow  
  


* * *

A few blocks away, Kasamatsu had been staring at his ceiling again, but this time with the light on. He was actively trying to stay awake, even as sleep tried desperately to take him. He knew that (f/n) wouldn’t be sleeping soundly anytime soon. Her opponents the next day were tough. So, with that in mind, he remained awake and waiting for his phone to vibrate. When it did, he grinned.

He loved being right.

This grin fell a little when he read her question. He couldn’t just tell her he was waiting for her restless message, could he? No, he didn’t feel like making the conversation awkward when he had been doing so well.

Just finishing my homework so my weekend is free.  
  


There, that sounded believable.

Oh, then I won’t bother you  
  


Maybe too believable. The man facepalmed before typing his reply.

It’s alright. I actually just finished.  
  
Okay. Well, I was just worried about our next opponent. Seiho  
  


Kasamatsu knew them all too well. He’d read up on them after they’d defeated Kaijo in his first year. Their play style was definitely different.

Don’t worry yourself too much. Worry doesn’t accomplish anything. Now, all you can do is play your hardest.  
  
Thanks, Kasamatsu. I’ll give it my all  
  


* * *

When Seirin entered the gym this time, they didn’t have time to admire its grandeur. They were too focused on the match at hand. (f/n) felt nervousness welling inside her when her eyes landed on their opponent at the other end of the court, then on Shutoku not far away. Taking a deep breath, she remembered Kasamatsu’s words.

Don’t be nervous.

Give it your all.

Like a mantra, she repeated those words as she practiced.

Dribble. 

Turn.

Shoot.

Over and over, she practiced her shots. Every single one of them went in, and she felt some confidence find its way into her mind. She was as ready as she could be for the upcoming match.

(f/n) was taken out of her thoughts when she heard Fukuda speak. “Seiho’s a lot more normal looking than I thought… None of them are even that tall.”

Stopping next to the first year, Riko nodded. “No doubt one of the smaller championship teams. Their tallest player is their captain, Iwamura-kun, who’s 6 foot 2. Then there’s the play maker, Kasuga-kun. Those two third year’s are the pillars of the team.”

Suddenly, a voice was heard behind them. “Oh, you’re Kagami, right?” The redhead turned to be met with Seiho’s first year with the shaved head. “Woah, you’ve really got red hair! Scary!”

Kagami’s face conveyed his annoyance. “Huh?”

“Captain!” The loud Seiho player pointed at Kagami. “Is this the one?! Seirin’s really weak besides one strong player…”

All of Seirin furrowed their brows in anger and annoyance, and their coach looked ready to break something. Seiho’s captain, thankfully, beat her to hitting his boisterous teammate.

“Stop messing around, you idiot.” The large player forced the other to bow. “Sorry, this guy’s socially clueless. He just says what he’s thinking.”

Hyuga approached him. “No need to apologize…. because we’re gonna win. Look down on us like you did last year, and it’ll be your end.”

Turning, Iwamura replied. “I doubt it. And we weren’t looking down on you. You were just weak. That’s the truth.” With that, he walked away with his underclassmen in tow.

Once in the locker room, Seirin began their stretches, but there was a sort of uncomfortableness in the air.

Riko broke the silence. “You’re all too worked up! So I’ve thought up a little incentive to get you energized!” Skeptical, everyone waited for her next words. She put on a cute face. “If you guys win this next game, I’ll give each of you a kiss on the cheek! How’s that sound?”

The silence in the air was her answer, and she sulked back. Hyuga stepped forward. “Idiots, at least act like you want it!” he whisper-yelled.

Riko got over her sulking after a minute, yelling, “No more complaints then, you blockheads! Don’t you want revenge for last year?! So let’s pay them back and a little more!” Mitobe attempted to calm his yelling coach down, but she continued, albeit a bit quieter. “You idiots would’ve agreed if it was (l/n)!”

(f/n) shook her head, face a bit hot. “Don’t bring me into—”

“Yeah, ‘cause we’re not scared of her!”

Before Riko could explode even more, Hyuga stepped in front of her. “Okay, lemme say this again before we head out there.” He gave a look to the coach, who calmed down some. “Once this game starts, we’ll get into the zone, and you first years better be ready. Seiho is strong! Honestly, getting beat so badly last year made us hate basketball. We almost quit.” When he saw everyone’s gloomy expressions at his words , he backtracked. “But we’re good now! We recovered! I’m trying to encourage you! This won’t be like last year. I’m confident about that much, at least…” he grinned. “Because I know we’re a lot stronger! Now let’s get out there and win!”

“Yeah!!”

From her spot next to Riko, (f/n) could see the determined looks on her team’s faces. She knew hers reflected that look as well. Everyone on the bench were restless, their hands grasping the bench like a lifeline. With that, the ball was thrown up, and Kagami and Iwamura jumped.


	11. Chapter 11

Kasamatsu was annoyed at how slow Kise was going. At this rate, they’d miss the beginning of the match. He watched as the blonde finally got to the front of the concessions line and sighed. His younger teammate’s words from earlier came back to him as he waited.

Kise had said that today was a lucky day for Cancers, which was Midorima’s star sign. He knew both from (f/n) and Kise that the green haired Shutoku player believed a little too much in horoscopes, and that kind of worried him. He didn’t want Seirin to lose. Finally, Kise approached him with a drink in hand.

“You idiot!” He hit the blonde. “Now we’ve missed the start, all ‘cause you needed a stupid drink.”

At that, they entered the gym, and their eyes widened. Seirin was losing to Seiho 0-12.

“Seriously?”

Down on the court, they spotted Seirin being completely blocked out by Seiho’s defense. They could barely pass the ball because of the pressure. As they sat down, the two Kaijo players watched Izuki go in for a layup and be blocked by Seiho’s captain.

Kise spoke first. “What’s going on here?”

Kasamatsu replied after watching for a second more. “I noticed when we played them… that Seirin had a slow start, but Kagami’s always the one with his foot on the gas from the start… If he can’t get things going soon, they’re gonna be sunk.” He looked to the bench and spotted a certain (h/c) watching her team intently. A realization hit him. “They need to put (l/n) in.”

Kise looked to his captain quizzically. “Why do you say that?”

“She might just be Seiho’s weakness.”

* * *

(f/n) covered her eyes when she saw Kagami get his second foul of the match. He really was getting cagey. Beside her, Riko noticed the same thing.

“That idiot, getting so hotheaded so easily!”

“Kagami, stay cool!”

They were being shut out to the point of Kuroko not being able to pass. (f/n) shook her head and leaned forward. How could they break through that wall?

Her eyes widened in realization.

“Coach, I need to go in.”

Riko looked at her in surprise. “Why do you say that?”

“I know how to break through.”

* * *

“What do you mean she’s their weakness?”

“Seiho plays man-to-man defense, but it’s not your typical man-to-man. They’re like glue on their marks. It doesn’t matter how well Seirin can pass, or if they can’t get off any shots…”

Kise interrupted the man beside him. “I get that their defense is tight, but don’t they have to keep up their energy to the very end? And you still didn’t answer my question.”

“They’ll keep it up because they use martial arts.”

* * *

Seirin called a timeout, and everyone approached the bench a little dejected.

“Seiho incorporates martial arts techniques like nanba running, where you swing your arms in rhythm with your legs to conserve energy, into their playing. And they stay light on their feet while they keep up their speed. They’re using all sorts of basic martial arts movements. That’s their strength. But they can’t fly or anything. They’re still high schoolers, just like you, and they’re playing the same basketball as you. Our usual strategies should still work against them. “ Riko stood, motioning for Izuki to approach her. “I’m subbing (f/n) in for you. She thinks she knows how to get past.” The second year nodded, and the timeout was over.

* * *

“Wow, Senpai, you know a lot about that.”

“Even at nationals, they’re an unusual team. Basketball Monthly ran a feature on them.”

“I see… But you _ still _haven’t answered my question!”

Kasamatsu looked to his teammate. “(l/n)’s skill is her fluid movement. She can change directions within seconds and is light on her feet. With that in mind, she should be able to get past those defenders.”

* * *

(f/n) brought the ball down to find Kasuga, Seiho’s playmaker, defending her. He was grinning.

“Well, hi little lady. You think you can get by me?” He laughed.

(f/n) glared at his overconfident face. “Of course.” He laughed again, and she felt her anger flare.

Without warning, she sped up her dribbling. The ball was like an extension of her, bending to her every will. It circled around her in fluid motions, and Kasuga’s eyes widened. He started to guard her harder. Spinning again, (f/n) pushed forward, her movements consistent. Like a wave, she rushed past her defender.

Fluidity.

She danced around the players in front her, too fast for them to even comprehend what was occurring. Then, with a smile, she jumped into shooting formation. Her movements were too fast; no one had time to block her. The ball soared through the hoop for two points.

* * *

Kasamatsu smiled at that. He felt a sense of pride at how dumbfounded Seiho was. They really shouldn’t have underestimated the girl; she was just getting started.

“Woah, (f/n)-chan really did get through! I’m so proud of her!”

“Yeah.”

Kise looked to the other court to see Midorima scoring yet again before being subbed out. He looked calm. “Looks like Midorimacchi has nothing to worry about.”

The man beside him nodded. “Well, duh, they’re facing an average school. It wasn’t even gonna be a challenge. But then there’s these guys.” The two turned their attention back to the Seirin/Seiho game. It was 6-15.

Seiho was on offense, and their passes were like lightning. As soon as the ball was in one player’s hands, it was on its way to the next. While Seirin was distracted, Tsuguwa, the player with the shaved head, went up for a layup.

Kagami fouled him again.

“I thought (f/n)-chan and Kagamicchi’s scoring would help fire up Seirin’s engines, but they’re still one step short of making it happen.”

Kasamatsu crossed his arms. “They didn’t get to be a King on defense alone. Their offense isn’t bad either.” He looked to the blonde. “Seiho doesn’t have any natural scorers like you or Kagami, but they make up for it. That martial arts stuff powers up their defense and offense. And by the time their players are third year’s, they’re really good at it. Seiho’s not a team stacked with natural-born talent… They’re a team full of masters.”

“You wanna talk about masters…” Kise looked down to the court, where his two former teammates were. “Seirin has two of their own.”

* * *

The ball went out of bounds, and Kuroko was run into yet again, this time by Tsugawa, who did a double take. “Who’re you?! Are you playing in this game?!”

“I’m Kuroko Tetsuya. Yes, I’m playing.”

“No freaking way! You’re practically invisible.” He shook his head. “You must be subbing in temporarily, right? Well, go on then, do your best! I heard my teammates got a twenty point lead in the first quarter against Seirin last year. This year, I’m hoping to make it thirty!” He slapped Kuroko’s back. “So don’t lose heart, Mr. Substitute!”

“Understood. I won’t lose heart. I’ll do my best.”

As (f/n) was bringing the ball in, Kuroko approached her and asked her to pass to him. She agreed. When they were down the floor, and the passing options were almost nonexistent, the girl threw the ball to a seemingly empty spot on the court, right next to Mitobe’s defender. Kuroko met the pass and wrapped the ball around to Mitobe, who made the shot.

Seiho was on offense, and Kasuga had the ball. He dribbled back and forth in front of (f/n). Then, he broke past easily, or so he thought. When he went up for a shot, (f/n) sent all of her power to her legs, and she jumped. She soared upwards and hit the ball before it could leave his hands.

It was already decided. This was her game.

After that, Seirin was on a roll of steals and scores. They finally got their game rolling. Soon, the first quarter was over. 19-19.

When Seirin got to their bench, Riko didn’t waste any time in coaching them. “This is only the beginning! Stay in these formations for offense and defense. They’re getting a lot of assists, so tighten up your zone defense. And Kagami!” She stared daggers at the redhead, who shrunk back a little. “No more fouls! They’ll wipe us out if you start backing off in response, though. It’s crucial that we stay aggressive!”

“Yeah!”

As (f/n) was setting down her water bottle, Izuki approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re doing great out there.”

(f/n) smiled a bit. “Thanks. Sorry I took your spot. I’m fine with switching out whenever you want.”

Izuki waved her off. “No, it’s fine. Plus, I get to save up my energy for the next match.” He nodded to her. “Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

When (f/n) brought the ball down, she was surprised to see that Seiho’s defense was even tighter. The pressure was growing. She passed the ball to Kagami.

He faced a very serious Tsugawa. His defense was strong, but he wasn’t expecting Kagami to pass the ball a few feet to the left, where Kuroko redirected the ball to Kagami who had slipped past his defense. Iwamura stepped in front of Kagami, but the first year duo pulled off the same move, and Kagami dunked the ball.

* * *

Kise was impressed. “Their set plays are more in sync than ever.”

Eyes wide, Kasamatsu nodded. “They tore right through that defense. But… I still wonder… Sweating so much in the second quarter… they must be…”

The two watched as Kagami received the ball. They watched as he noticed his defense was lessened. They watched as he went up for a shot.

And they watched as a foul was called because Kagami’s defender fell to the floor.

“That moron! What is he doing?!”

“He’s just gotta hang back now,” reasoned the Kaijo captain with a stiff jaw. “But he won’t be able to make any plays if he’s scared of that fifth foul.”

* * *

Kagami was all over the place with reasonings as to what he could do to stay in the game when Hyuga interrupted him. “Well, this is perfect actually. We were planning on benching you and Kuroko at this point anyways.”

“Huh?”

“Me too?”

“We decided from the very start that you two would only play in the first half. So don’t worry. We’ll be the ones to take down Seiho.”

“Wait, what?! Kuroko and I won’t be playing the second half?!”

“There are two reasons. First, you two are the only ones who can beat Midorima. Even if we win this game, we absolutely need a strategy to beat Midorima if we hope to beat Shutoku. And, as we thought, Shutoku’s already benched Midorima to let him rest. He’ll steamroll you two if you’re exhausted. Sure, our odds against Seiho are better if we leave you two in the whole time, but then there’d be no hope against Shutoku. So, even if letting you two rest means fighting an uphill battle, there’s still a glimmer of hope that we’ll make the finals league.”

Kagami was shocked. “It doesn’t matter if we’re tired out or not… We’ll deal with Midorima somehow!”

Kuroko shook his head. “Kagami-kun, let’s do what they say.”

“Huh?!”

“I believe in our upperclassmen and (f/n)-chan. Plus, there’s one more thing: the other important reason.”

The five that went back out on the court were as follows: Hyuga, (f/n), Izuki, Mitobe, and Tsuchida. When they got out on the floor, everyone was surprised to see that Kagami and Kuroko were subbed out. Tsugawa approached Hyuga with a smirk.

“My, my, so they’re leaving us? You’re done for now, but whatever!”

“These first years lately, I swear…” He glared at the Seiho player. “Shut your noisy trap, you brat. You’re about to learn to not talk back to your elders.”

“Brat?!”

Seirin’s second years really weren’t messing around, and it showed. The team’s passing was phenomenal, and they scored even without the first year duo. (f/n) was proud that they kept her on the court, but she understood the reasoning. At this rate, she’d be more useful against Seiho than against Shutoku. Her play style was just stronger against their defense.

At a stall in the gameplay, Iwamura approached Hyuga. “I heard what you said about trying to beat Shutoku… Are you underestimating us?”

“Ah, that was just the pretext. The real reason’s actually something else. Nothing major, though!” He glanced at his fellow second years, determination on their faces. “We couldn’t really be proud of all of our first years winning our revenge match for us. In other words, it’s a matter of pride.”

Kasuga scoffed. “A matter of pride, huh? Nice, I like the sound of that.”

Tsugawa was laughing. “You’re only a year older than me, though!”

Iwamura frowned at his younger teammate. “You really need to shut up.” Then, he turned to Seirin. “We’re ready for you, so come on.”

Hyuga nodded. “No holding back, then…”

The next shot that Seiho tried, Hyuga blocked. The ball went to Izuki, who passed to (f/n). She broke away from her guard as a distraction before passing to Mitobe. He made an impressive hook shot.

Kasuga brought the ball back down to shoot a scoop shot over Izuki’s head. In the turn around, (f/n) got the ball, and she crashed into the paint to shoot an easy layup.

* * *

Kise’s eyes widened. “Oh, they’re hanging in there better than I thought.”

Arms still crossed, Kasamatsu sighed. “But now it’s gonna get serious. Kagami and Kuroko’s offensive skills are out of this world, so they’re givens… But the team as a whole is still getting used to them. It’s a work in progress. But, with Hyuga’s outside shots, #8’s hookshots, and (l/n)’s breakthroughs… they’re still getting buckets. The four second years have had time to develop over a whole year, and (l/n) is good at working in conjunction with their movements. Those second years have been training since last years’ losses, training… to win. There’s one more thing I noticed. This team’s key man… is the guy I was matched up against.”

“Not #4?”

“Hyuga may be the emotional pillar, but playing is left to the point guard. It’s like #5 has a third eye.”

“Eye…?”

Izuki was bringing the ball down. He narrowed his eyes, passed to Hyuga, then broke away from his guard. When his guard tried to follow, he ran into his own teammate. Hyuga passed the ball back to Izuki. He scored a layup.

* * *

As Seirin was getting back to defense, Izuki spoke up. “You like how I get right to the point (guard)?”

Although (f/n) laughed at how ridiculous that joke was, Hyuga wasn’t amused. “I’ll get you benched, I swear! Just die!” Before Seiho came down the floor, (f/n) asked to be put on Tsugawa. She wanted to avenge Kagami.

It was 58-64 with 4:51 to go.

When Tsugawa saw (f/n) in defensive stance in front of him, he laughed. “They put the girl on me? This should be fun.”

“Yeah, revenge is fun.”

He blinked. “Revenge? Do you mean for Kagami’s fouls?” He laughed again, this time a little louder. “Hey, Omura-san! Switch marks with me!”

“Huh, why?”

“She wants some payback, and I wanna give it to her.”

When Seiho brought the ball down, it was like Tsugawa couldn’t shut up about how he felt bad that he was “gonna wreck a girl’s hopes and dreams.” Yeah right. At this rate, she felt like wrecking his face.

Izuki stole the ball, and Seirin switched to offense. Tsugawa was still jabbering, but (f/n) ignored him. Izuki passed her the ball, and she used her fluidity yet again. This time, she wanted to make a statement. She crossed over in front of him over and over until he didn’t know which direction she’d go, then she broke through. She circled around Izuki and his guard, then around Hyuga and his guard. Tsugawa surprisingly was able to follow, so she backpeddled to the half court line. Tsugawa stayed close. With a grin, she bounced the ball between his unsuspecting legs, spun around him, and took a long three pointer before he even had time to turn. Her speed was unmatched. The ball was out of her hand before Tsugawa jumped to block, and her grin got wider at the look in his eyes. The arch of her shot was high, but it was nothing compared to Midorima’s arch. However, it did its job, and the ball flew through the net with a swish.

When Seiho came back down the floor, Hyuga intercepted the first pass. (f/n) was running down the floor at full speed and received Hyuga’s pass, throwing the ball to Mitobe who made a layup.

Iwamura gaped. “These guys have figured out our moves…”

Hyuga tiredly grinned. “All your moves, made useless by one little DVD…”

“So that’s it…”

“As the name implies, ancient martial arts use _ old _techniques. They take a different approach than modern sports science. Applying those techniques to create special moves is Seiho’s strength, but special moves can become bad habits!” Hyuga laughed a little. “In order to predict those bad habits of yours, we studied a DVD of your games over and over until we burned out. Of course it took us ‘til the second half to figure out how to deal with them…”

Izuki continued. “Because we couldn’t see your bad habit, we just didn’t… _ hab _it from the start.”

When Seirin came down the floor next, Tsuchida scored to put them in the lead 70-69 with 25 seconds left. Seiho stole it back with a dunk from Iwamura.

“Don’t underestimate a King! You punks are too green to beat us!”

70-71

15 seconds left

Seirin was met with a full court press. Izuki got the ball and made it past his defender because of Mitobe’s screen. He passed the ball to (f/n). She eyed Tsugawa in front of her before the edges of her lips curved upward. She went up for a shot. He jumped, but her toes never left the floor. She dribbled around him while he was still airborne and took a shot. It swished.

The buzzer sounded.

The game was over.

Seirin won.

The entire gymnasium erupted in shouts. (f/n) felt like screaming in victory, but she held it in. With a grin, she ran to her teammates. They were all cheering. Before she knew it, she was raised into the air by her teammates, and she laughed and told them to put her down. They complied, but not without giving her pats on the back and high fives.

Their celebration was interrupted when Tsugawa, who was standing stiffly in the middle of the court, shouted, “But how?! Didn’t Seirin only get started last year?! We’ve definitely done more practicing! You guys didn’t even put up a fight last year! We’re the better team by far…”

Iwamura placed a hand on his shoulder. “Stop it, Tsugawa.”

“But…”

“The stronger team wins. Winning proves strength.”

“That’s how it is. Let’s line up.” Kasuga motioned for his underclassman to follow.

“They were stronger than us, no denying it.”

Tsugawa stood still a moment more before gesturing to Kuroko and (f/n). “Tell me your names!”

They turned. “Huh?”

“Your names!”

“Kuroko Tetsuya.”

“(l/n) (f/n).”

“I’ll remember!”


	12. Chapter 12

In the crowd, Kasamatsu and Kise were amazed. They were probably the loudest out of those cheering at (f/n)’s buzzer beater.

“I’m so proud of (f/n)-chan! I think I might cry!”

Kasamatsu hit him, but it had less force behind it than usual. “Don’t get too excited just yet. They still have to face Shutoku.”

As serious as he was, he couldn’t help the pride that was welling up inside him. He knew that the girl was strong, and that she would do well in a game against a strong defensive team, but the spectacle that she just put on… He couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Looks like Shutoku’s done too. So the final match is Shutoku versus Seirin…”

Kasamatsu glanced at the scoreboard. 113-38. He sighed. “Two matches in one day though… It’s crazy.”

“Do you think they’ll put (f/n)-chan in for that game?”

The ravenette thought for a second before replying. “I honestly doubt it. I feel like they’ll be depending on Kagami and Kuroko for that one. They used (l/n) more than almost anyone on the court, so she should definitely rest. However, they just might need her if it gets down to the wire.”

* * *

Riko looked like she was about to cry, so Hyuga placed a hand on her head and ruffled her short hair. “Pull it together, Coach. No time to cry just yet. Save the waterworks for when we win the final match.” With that, the team filed into the locker room. As she passed the two, she couldn’t help but smile. They obviously liked each other. If only they’d admit it.

“Get those jackets on before you get chilly! And be sure to stretch those muscles out! Amino acids for fatigue recovery! Don’t forget your calorie supplements! Get those shoes off and line up to get your massage!”

(f/n) was glad to be sitting down after such a workout. She removed her shoes and bundled up in her jacket, just as the coach said, before wandering over to grab a snack and water. She didn’t realize there was conversation going on around her until she heard Riko shouting.

“Hey, Kagami! You’ll stiffen up if you sleep!”

She looked to the floor where the redhead sat, his eyes closed and his breathing steady. She laughed.

“Just leave him be.”

“It’s rare to see him so out of it after a game.”

“Probably just ‘cause we pulled it off even with his four fouls. We shouldn’t worry about him.”

“Koga, it was down to the wire at the end. Without (l/n), we’d have been sunk.”

Hyuga shook his head. “I think he just feels a sense of responsibility, in his own way. Besides, he’s not just _ sleeping… _ He’s preparing for the next match. Almost like he’s saving up every last bit of power he’s got.”

“Let’s move! Ten minutes left!”

Riko approached the girl as they exited the locker room, Kuroko and Kagami still inside. “I want you to take it easy. We’ll only put you in if it’s absolutely necessary.”

Nodding, (f/n) decided to take out her phone and listen to some music while her team warmed up. Once they were on the court, she put in her headphones and grabbed a ball. Music really helped her to relax, especially after a match like the previous one.

* * *

Kise had left to get a snack as soon as the teams went to their locker rooms, but he still wasn’t back when they returned to the court. Sighing, Kasamatsu observed Seirin as they began to warm up. He noticed (f/n) immediately. She was practicing her dribbling, switching between speeds easily. He noticed the headphones in her ears and pulled out his phone.

If she had her phone on her like he assumed, she’d receive his text before the game began.

Amazing match. Good luck with the next one.  
  


He watched as she pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket. With a smile, she seemed to survey the crowd before her eyes landed on him. She smiled and waved. He waved back.

Thank you. I’m glad you came to watch  
  


“Who are you texting?”

Jumping, the captain placed his phone back in his pocket and crossed his arms. “No one.”

“You sound just like (f/n)-chan when I caught her texting you.” When Kasamatsu looked away, Kise’s eyes widened. “Were you texting her?!”

He looked down to the court where Seirin was approaching their bench. His eyes landed on (f/n) just as she looked up. When she saw him, she smiled and waved yet again, and Kise grinned and waved in return.

“What did you say to her?”

“Just told her good luck.”

“I’m so proud of you, Senpai!” All Kise received was a slap to the head.

* * *

Seirin huddled up on the sidelines as Hyuga began to speak. “Man, I’m pooped. I’ve been in a funk since this morning… Knowing we’d be facing two Kings… Thinking about our next opponent even when facing Seiho… But brooding about the next time or needing to cool off makes us sluggish. Clear your minds, and let’s do what we gotta do! Just keep giving it your all until we’ve won!”

“Yeah!!”

With that, the starting five approached the center of the court, and the rest of the team made themselves comfortable on the bench. (f/n) couldn’t help but massage her knees as she sat there. They weren’t in the best shape, but they weren’t in the worst shape either. She looked up as she heard her former teammate’s voice.

“I never expected you to come this far, but it ends now. You think that a pathetic and nameless school can triumph through teamwork and guts alone? You’re delusional. So come. I’ll show you how foolish your choices have been.”

Kuroko remained steadfast in front of the taller Miracle. “No one can say what the correct decision in life is. That’s not why I chose how I did. And if you’ll allow me to disagree on one point… Seirin is definitely not pathetic. And we definitely won’t lose.”

(f/n) couldn’t help herself as she spoke her thoughts a little too loud. “Go Tetsuya!”

At her words, Midorima looked to her. She smiled. He only nodded in response, but she could derive the meaning. It was his way of saying good job. She’d known him long enough to be able to tell that much.

Takao approached his teammate with a questioning look. “Only greeting Kuroko? What about Kagami?” Kagami stopped when he heard his name, but Midorima still had his back turned to him.

“Not necessary. I have no need to speak with someone who played such a pitiful game. And if he has something to say to me, he can do so on the court.”

Kagami put his head down. “Same here. Just thinking of you pisses me off. I can’t bottle up this frustration much longer. So… let’s get this started.” He suddenly looked up with a fire in his eyes. “I’ll turn this rage into fighting spirit—all to beat you. No more holding back!”

“What’d you say?” Midorima finally turned. “You talk big. Now show me.”

With that, both teams got into position for the jump ball. Soon, the ball was thrown up, and Seirin won the ball. Izuki brought the ball to the head of the three point line. He was met with tight defense.

Furihata spoke. “Wow, no openings…”

Fukuda agreed. “Yeah… Come on! Keep your eyes open and take it easy!”

Riko shook her head and interrupted his yelling. “No! Taking on a superior opponent so casually is like gift wrapping the advantage with a bow on top! We’ve gotta take the lead in the first quarter! To do that we need to skip the pleasantries and attack!”

At that, Izuki passed the ball to Kuroko who set up an alleyoop for Kagami. The redhead jumped, grabbed the ball, and slammed it down… only to be blocked by Midorima, who hit the ball out of his hands and to Takao.

Down the court, Takao was met with Izuki’s defense. Grinning, he passed the ball behind his back to his teammate who went up for a layup, but he was blocked by Hyuga.

It was back and forth like this for the first 2 minutes of the game. Then, Otsubo rebounded the ball and threw it down the court toward his offensive end where Midorima caught it. He went up for a far three. Just as before, the arch was high, and he turned before it even went in.

Kuroko took the ball to throw it in. Instead of a normal throw, however, he cradled the ball as he spun, gaining momentum. Then, he let go, and the ball soared right past Midorima into Kagami’s waiting hands. The Seirin ace dunked the ball.

Standing up, (f/n) was silent. She had never seen so much power out of Kuroko, but she didn’t doubt that he had more up his sleeve. She watched as Midorima’s glare intensified, and she wondered if she’d be needed out on the court. The only thing she could do at the moment, however, was watch.

Midorima received the ball, but he passed it. It seemed Kagami’s pressure was enough to make him think twice.

* * *

Kasamatsu’s widened in realization, and he whispered, “He’s been sealed off.”

“Midorimacchi’s... sealed off?”

“Yeah, by the invisible guy’s ultra-long range spinning pass. Midorima heads back on defense during his shots’ long hang time. That helps defend against counters, but it’s not like the whole team joins him. Some have to hang around _ just in case _ he misses. But that insane hang time can work against him… because it gives Kagami a chance to run at the same time. He zooms past Midorima for an instant counterattack. _ That’s _why Midorima didn’t shoot just now. But the timing and judgment to pull off that pass… and the guts you need to make it work… I’m seeing him in a new light. The time he spent with you back at Teikou is clear. He’s a battle hardened veteran.”

* * *

Takao had the ball, and Izuki was on him. Suddenly, the Shutoku point guard crossed over and broke past. Then, as if aware of everyone, he passed the ball behind his back, this time to Otsubo. The captain made his shot.

Seirin quickly responded with a Kuroko pass and Mitobe bucket. Unexpectedly, Shutoku’s coach told Takao to guard Kuroko.

Furihata shook his head. “Doesn’t matter who they put on Kuroko. He’s invisible enough to slip away from anyone.”

“I don’t know about that.”

The other first years turned to (f/n). “Huh? What do you mean?”

She shook her head. “Call it a woman’s intuition, but I know that there have to be people out there that always know where Tetsuya is. I mean, can’t Izuki always see him with his Eagle Eye?”

Izuki was bringing the ball down, and Kuroko broke away from Takao. The point guard looked frazzled at the disappearance. However, as the ball traveled toward Kuroko’s waiting hand, Takao cut in to steal the ball.

Everyone was surprised, but those on the bench only believed (f/n)’s words more. It did seem as though Takao had a similar ability to Seirin’s point guard.

“Seirin time-out!”

Kagami spoke up first. “Coach, let us keep going like this, please!” Then, he ruffled Kuroko’s hair. “Hey, don’t tell me you’re ready to throw the towel in already.”

“Well, I’m a little discouraged.”

“Ha, then just leave Takao to me!” Kagami’s grin turned serious. “I haven’t properly introduced myself yet, and I’ve even got a gift for him.”

Riko sighed. “Kagami-kun aside… We now know that misdirection won’t work on Takao, but will you be fine?”

Kuroko’s face fell. “We won’t be fine. We’re in trouble.”

“Right… Wait, then what’s the plan?!”

“For the last three and a half minutes of the first quarter, could you let us keep playing as we have been?”

“Timeout over!”

Riko nodded. “Got it! I’m leaving it to you two!”

With that, all the Seirin members returned to their respective positions, whether they be on the court or the bench. (f/n) was restless; she was bouncing her leg as she sat stiffly beside her coach. Riko looked over to her.

“What is it, (l/n)-chan?”

“I don’t know what to do in this situation.” She sighed. “I know that Kagami and Tetsuya have way more energy than me, and I wouldn’t be much help, but I can’t help but want to get out there. Plus, I can’t even think of a way to shut out Midorima right now. I feel pretty useless.”

Shaking her head, Riko replied. “Don’t worry so much. We can depend on our first year duo. If it gets really bad, I’ll put you in, and you can get some hands-on experience to come up with a strategy.” (f/n) nodded in response.

Takao had stolen another pass by the time (f/n) looked up again, and he passed it to Midorima. He stood upon the half court line, and he went up for a three. It went in.

8-14

Kagami had the ball on the three point line. Midorima was low in front of him. Surprisingly, the redhead went up for a three. Then, he followed his shot. He got the rebound and dunked it in. From the sidelines, (f/n) could hear Izuki saying, “No oops with your alleyoop!” and Hyuga’s death threat that followed. She laughed.

She really loved her team.

Next, Otsubo had the ball down low. He spun around Mitobe for a bank shot. His face was serious. He held the captain spot well.

11-18

Riko was so focused on the match that she dropped an item she had been clenching in her fist.

“Hey, Coach, what’s that?”

“Ah, something I broke earlier. Must’ve forgot about it.”

“Broke?”

She nodded. “Last year, after we lost, Hyuga-kun wanted a way to put pressure on himself to become a stronger leader. So, for every shot he missed in practice, I got to break one of his Samurai figurines.”

“You seriously did that?!”

“Because of that, Hyuga-kun doesn’t miss when it really counts.”

From the bench, they could hear Hyuga yelling, “King? More like a bunch of babies! Just die!” as he made his shot.

14-18

Midorima stood at the other end of the court with the ball. His demeanor was odd, and (f/n)’s eyes widened as she stood. No, he couldn’t be…

“No…”

“What is it, (l/n)?”

“Look!”

Everyone’s eyes were on the green haired man as he began his ascent. His form was impeccable. His timing was frustrating. Even from such a distance, the arch was still high.

It went in.

“I told you my range is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, it covers the entire court.”

With that, the first quarter ended.

“That freaking carrot!”

The rest of the bench turned to (f/n). “Carrot?”

“Yes.” Izuki began snickering at (f/n)’s insult. At least he appreciated it. “I honestly never thought he’d be able to make his range this big.”

Kuroko agreed. “When I last saw him, his range was only half court. I’ve never seen him shoot from that far.”

Izuki shook his head. “I mean, I’ve seen video’s of NBA players making that shot in practice, but doing that during a game is crazy!”

“The Generation of Miracles is no joke, huh?”

“Seriously, how do we stop that guy?”

Riko was the one to answer. “True, he may be capable of unbelievable shots… but that doesn’t mean there’s no way to deal with him! We are going to stop Midorima-kun! Kuroko-kun, I know you’re getting worn out, but get out there and try one more time!”

When they got back on the court, Midorima had the ball, and Kuroko was on him. He dribbled past as Takao screened Kuroko out, but Kagami was there to help. Midorima stopped for a split second, then spun around and went up for a shot. It swished.

14-23

Kuroko attempted a pass to Kagami, but Takao was there again. Midorima received the ball and went up for another shot. It went in… again.

Hyuga’s voice could be heard as Seirin brought the ball down the floor. “Gimme the ball, Izuki! We can’t keep relying on them! It’s up to us to attack!”

Hyuga received the ball, faked a shot, then passed to Mitobe. The silent man made another impressive hook shot. When the ball came back into play, Midorima ascended for another full court shot. Kagami jumped to block it, but the ball continued toward the basket. It went in.

Kagami began to laugh, his eyes holding that fire again. Honestly, they were blazing, and a crazed smile adorned his face.

Was that the key? As (f/n) watched Kagami’s switch flip, she saw someone else. He reminded her so much of…

The second quarter ended.


	13. Chapter 13

Kise felt his nerves rising. “C’mon, show us what you’ve got, Seirin!”

“They _ are _showing us, you idiot. But, with a difference in strength like this, it’s a miracle they’re hanging in there. You should be praising them.” Kasamatsu stared down at Seirin’s bench as they dispersed toward the locker room. “I wonder if they’ll put her in?”

* * *

Seirin was silent as they sat in their locker room. Everyone had dismayed looks on their faces.

“Whatcha doing, Kuroko?”

“I’m checking footage from the first half, Takao-kun specifically.”

“You find a way to beat him?”

“Who knows?”

“Huh?”

Kuroko’s eyes never left the recording. “Of course I’m thinking ‘I want to win,’ but I’ve never let myself think ‘_ Can _ we win’? For instance, even if we were down by 100 points, a meteor _ could _strike the opponent’s bench the final second of the game. So, until we hear that buzzer sound, I’m going to continue doing all I can.”

“There ain’t gonna be a meteor!”

“Huh?”

“How could that even happen?! You have one wild imagination!”

Tsuchida rubbed his chin. “But… what if they all got stomach aches?”

“Don’t get drawn in! That won’t happen either!”

Koganei laughed. “Well, compared to impossible events like those, pulling off a reversal in the second half seems pretty darn realistic to me!”

Hyuga smiled at that. “Just keep going ‘til the end! There will be time to reflect once it’s over!”

With that, they all left for the court. Kuroko was benched so he could observe the match, which meant… (f/n) was put in.

* * *

“Kurokocchi’s on the bench?”

“As long as Takao’s in play, that’s how it is. But they put (l/n) in… I wonder what she’ll be able to do?”

* * *

Kagami jumped for the ball. It went to Hyuga. It was stolen. It went to Midorima. He went up for a shot. Kagami was in front of him. He jumped higher than before, but still couldn’t block the shot. It went in.

Izuki brought the ball down. Without looking, he knew (f/n) was behind him, and he passed it. She went up for a shot, and it swished.

29-48

Yet again, Midorima went up for a shot. Kagami jumped. He went higher than before.

He tipped the ball.

The ball didn’t swish, but it did still go in, albeit it rolled around the rim.

“You… what’s your sign?”

“Huh?” Kagami turned, no amusement on his face. “I’m a Leo.”

“Of course. The horoscope is never wrong…”

That was just like Midorima. Asking a question, but not giving a clear explanation for it.

Seirin brought the ball down. The ball went to (f/n). She went up for a three. It swished.

“Not bad, for a lady, but our little Shin-chan’s better,” said Takao in response. That lit a fire in (f/n)’s eyes. What did he mean ‘for a lady’?

Seirin went into a full court box-and-one, reminiscent of when they played Kaijo. Kagami was pressuring Midorima like no one else could. He didn’t see the screen coming as Midorima dribbled around him, but he caught up and tipped the ball again.

It missed.

Otsubo slammed it in, though. That didn’t matter. Kagami had found what he’d needed to face Midorima, and two more points wouldn’t change that. However, Riko did call out for (f/n) to double team Otsubo with Mitobe, and she did just that.

Takao handed the ball off to Midorima, yet again. He went up for another shot.

Kagami blocked it! He full on slapped the ball out of Midorima’s overly taken-care-of hands. Izuki got the ball and made an easy layup.

34-50

Takao passed the ball to Otsubo, who dunked over both Mitobe and (f/n). However, Kagami came out of nowhere and blocked it.

“Foul! Black #10!”

When they got back down the court, Kagami dribbled around Midorima like it was nothing and dunked the ball. It was back and forth again, but Seirin now had an edge with Kagami’s jumps added to the mix. They were closing the gap with a mixture of Kagami’s dunks and Hyuga and (f/n)’s outside shots.

45-56

Miyaji, the blonde Shutoku player and (f/n)’s mark, went up for a shot. He definitely wasn’t expecting (f/n) to utilize her own jump to block his shot. It wasn’t nearly as high as Kagami’s soaring leaps, but it was impressive in itself. Hyuga retrieved the ball and passed it down the floor to Kagami. Two guards were on him, but he went for the shot anyways. He jumped too high for them to block him. It swished.

Midorima had the ball at the head of the three point line. He went for the shot, and… Kagami couldn’t retaliate. It was like all his energy had left him, and gravity was pulling him down with all its might.

* * *

“He’s running on empty?!”

Kasamatsu’s eyes were wide. “I’d say his body’s not strong enough to jump like that all the time. He’s been abusing it and waging this solo battle… Also… He’s played two games today. They all have. They’re all running on fumes.”

Kagami was losing it. He went for a weak shot, and was blocked easily. With another two points for Shutoku, the third quarter ended.

* * *

“Kagami, you’re getting too worked up. Slow down and watch the court.”

Hyuga agreed with his point guard. “Exactly. You didn’t have a clear opening before! So regroup and—”

“Regroup and pass?! What good’ll that do?” Everyone was surprised by Kagami’s sudden outburst. “I’m the only one standing up to Shutoku at this point. It’s not teamwork we need now, just more scoring from me.”

“Huh? What’s that?! You just being selfish or what?!”

(f/n) was surprised by Kagami’s apparent new philosophy, and she wasn’t happy with it. It was too much like Teikou’s, too much like everything she was against. Teamwork was the most important part of the sport.

Apparently, Kuroko wasn’t pleased either, for he punched Kagami square in the face. The man on the receiving end picked his attacker up by the shirt.

“Kuroko!”

The blue haired man was calm. “Basketball isn’t a game meant for one.”

Kagami was furious. “So you want everyone to work together and lose?! Is that it?! It means nothing if we don’t win!!”

Eyes like steel, Kuroko didn’t back down. “Where’s the meaning in winning _ alone _? You said you want to beat the Generation of Miracles, but now you’re thinking just like them. Yes, you might beat Shutoku with a total lack of trust in your teammates, but that wouldn’t make anyone happy.”

Kagami threw Kuroko to the ground. “Stop spouting that naive crap! What good’re platitudes if we don’t win?!”

(f/n) couldn’t take it anymore. She stepped between the two with a glare on her face. “Well, Kagami, what do _ you _ think winning is?” She didn’t let him answer. “No matter how many points you score, no matter how many shots you block, it’s not _ winning _if you can’t be happy about it!” At this point, (f/n) was on the verge of tears. She could see her team deteriorating before her.

The team was the most important part.

The team was what she played for.

She couldn’t lose her team.

“Hey, we’re not trying to lose here! It just doesn’t make sense to go in alone like this!” reasoned Koganei.

“Or do you… disagree with that?” asked Hyuga. His voice showed just how important that question was.

If Kagami didn’t believe in the team, the team couldn’t win with him.

Kagami was silent for a second; then he sighed. “Nah, I get it…” He held out his hand to Kuroko, who was still sprawled on the floor. “Sorry. It’s obviously better to be happy about a win.”

“Well, looks like Kagami’s managed to cool down a bit, but we’re still in a pinch. What do we do?”

Kuroko removed his overshirt, sheer resolve shining in his eyes. “If I could just say something… I may be able to use it now. It’s true… all I can really do is pass, but I can take it to the next level.”

“You’ve got a new pass?”

“Most people can’t catch it, but, as Kagami-kun is now, he might be able to.”

“If it’s only to Kagami-kun, you won’t last until the end of the game. You’ll also need to slip past Takao-kun’s defense to pass normally.”

“We can make that work right?” asked Izuki. “If we make use of my eyes.”

Riko turned. “Kagami-kun! How many jumps do you have left in you?”

“Jumps?”

“You mean the one’s he used to block Midorima?”

Riko nodded. “They take his abilities to the utmost limit, so they’re really exhausting. Plus, Kagami-kun’s body isn’t at its peak. He can only jump that high so many times in one game. You must’ve realized that yourself, right?” She turned to the redhead.

He looked incredulous. “What’re you…? I can keep jumping, no sweat!”

“This is no time for bravado! Come on!”

Riko analyzed the ace, and she noticed just how much his muscles tremored. “I’d say… two more times. Judging from your muscle stats, that’s your limit. After two more of those jumps, it’ll take all you have to even stand.”

“Two jumps? How’s that enough to stop Midorima…?”

“This final jump has to come at the end to win it all. So use the other jump…”

47-61

With that, (f/n) was back on the bench, but she didn’t mind. Her legs were aching more than they had in over a year. She needed to sit down.

As Kagami stepped out on the floor, he stopped his captain. “Sorry about earlier.”

Hyuga turned. “Hmm? Don’t worry about it… is what I should say. But, after mouthing off like that to me… Yeah… I’ll murder you for that.” Kagami paled a bit. “Later though! Win or lose, this game is over in ten minutes!”

* * *

“Kurokocchi’s on the court again! And they took (f/n)-chan out.”

“I was worried for a second when he socked Kagami and (l/n) stepped between them.” He really had felt worry when he saw (f/n)’s face. There was an emotion there he recognized too well. Plus, he didn’t know if Kagami would hurt her in his blind rage. If that would’ve happened, Kasamatsu might’ve jumped on the court and hit him.

But what was Seirin’s plan now? Kuroko wasn’t much of a trump card if Takao was there. Maybe they actually did have a plan?

* * *

Kagami broke through and passed to Mitobe, who scored. Right as Takao threw the ball in, Midorima went up for his counterattack.

_ Use the other jump to smack down his shot at the start of the fourth quarter! _

And just like that, the ball flew out of Midorima’s hands. It went to Izuki, who immediately went up for a shot. It made that perfect swishing sound.

Ten points.

“Coach, should we really have taken that jump?”

She nodded. “It’s a bluff, basically…”

“Huh?”

(f/n) continued for her coach who was too invested in watching to elaborate. “Since we showed that Kagami would jump like that even with such low stamina, they won’t know when he’ll do it again. We couldn’t stop Midorima _ if _he decided to shoot, but he never takes shots he might miss. As long as Kagami’s there, he’s not sure. So now we have to close the gap and hold them down.”

At that moment, Takao lost Kuroko. He’d become so hyper aware of him that it was easier for Kuroko to draw his attention, then disappear. Izuki passed the ball to Kuroko, but Takao ran to intercept as soon as he spotted his mark.

He couldn’t stop a pass like that though.

The speed was like a sonic boom. Kagami caught it, and Midorima stood between him and the basket. Then, with the force only a Miracle could possess, Kagami slammed the ball into the basket, right over Midorima.

* * *

“Wait, hold on! I thought he was running on empty?!” Kise’s golden eyes were wide.

“Well, this was the wrong time to go overboard with a dunk like that. That’s one way to see it. It’s not like there’s much point in dunking in the first place… Wears you out, and it’s only worth two points…”

Kise felt offended. He always thought the dunk was cooler. “Maybe he just likes flashy moves!”

“Maybe… no, that’s you, actually…” Kasamatsu thought a little, his eyes still drawn to the court. “Actually, it’d be wrong to say there’s not much point to it. Two points or not, it remains basketball’s greatest flourish. And it blew Midorima away. That dunk just now energized the whole team. It was a play worth way more than the points it earned them.”

* * *

With three minutes left, it was 74-78.

Kuroko passed the ball to Mitobe, who scored.

“Shutoku time-out!”

After a short break, both teams were back on the court with new resolve. Shutoku had the ball, and Midorima got around Kagami due to a well placed screen.

“Crap! It’s Midorima, and Kagami’s at his limit!”

Riko didn’t look worried, only determined. “I knew this was coming! By putting Kuroko-kun back in play, we didn’t just boost the rest of the team’s aggressiveness… he can now go for steals.”

At that, Kuroko hit the ball out of Midorima’s unsuspecting hands. Hyuga went for a fast break, and, when he got to the goal, he went up for a layup. Otsubo surprised him with a block, though.

Midorima made another three.

79-81

38 seconds.

Kuroko stole the ball, but Takao hit the ball out of Izuki’s hands and out of bounds. Otsubo started guarding Hyuga. They really didn’t want Seirin to make a three pointer.

15 seconds.

Mitobe passed the ball to Izuki.

13 seconds.

Kagami screened out Otsubo so Hyuga could pass.

Ten seconds.

He ran far from the three point line, almost to half court, and received the ball.

8 seconds.

With perfect form, he made the three.

“Yeah!!!”

82-81

5 seconds.

Takao passed the ball to Midorima.

3 seconds.

“Kagami-kun can’t jump anymore!”

The man of green went up for the shot.

Kagami jumped, even though he was far past his limit.

But it was a fake.

2 seconds.

But Kuroko knew that he’d fake. He knew he’d lower the ball. So he approached from behind, and hit the ball out of Midorima’s overly confident hands.

0 seconds.

Everyone jumped off the bench in a rush of joy. Riko started to cry, as did (f/n). So many emotions were flowing through Seirin, but the main one was overwhelming joy.

“With a score of 82 to 81, Seirin High School wins!”

“Thank you for the game!”


	14. Chapter 14

When Seirin got into their locker room, it was like all energy had left them. Their legs were weak, their hair was drenched, and their minds were exhausted. It was no surprise; that game had been tougher than any match they’d played before. Despite their exhaustion, they were smiling.

“Hey, let’s run back home!”

The team looked at their coach like she had grown three heads. In the state that they were in, they’d be lucky to make it back home without collapsing.

Hyuga held out a trembling hand. “No, hold on… We just played two games… against two of the Kings… We’re not running anywhere!”

“Ah, sorry!”

“We’ll be fine after resting for a bit, but Kagami…,” everyone turned to gaze at the redhead, “he went overboard.”

Kagami was sprawled on the floor, his legs shaking despite his desperate pleas for them to work. It was as if his muscles had shut down completely.

“We can’t hang out here forever, though… Let’s find the nearest restaurant!”

“Someone should give Kagami a piggyback ride.”

“Let’s decide with rock-paper-scissors!”

Kuroko lost.

Halfway to the restaurant, the bluenette’s legs gave way, and Kagami landed face-first on the sidewalk. He wasn’t happy. That much was obvious.

As they reached Teppan Kitchen, the sky let loose a torrential downpour, and everyone hurried inside. (f/n) was laughing at Kagami who was glaring at Kuroko. It was like he didn’t notice the daggers the taller man was sending his way.

“I’ll remember this, Kuroko…”

“Sorry, you’re too heavy…”

Once inside, everyone surveyed their surroundings. (f/n)’s eyes went directly to Kise and Kasamatsu who were seated at a nearby table. Kagami approached the pair before (f/n) could get a step in.

“Kise and Kasamatsu?!”

Kise nodded. “Sup, my man?”

The man seated across from him shook his head in exasperation. “We’re not that familiar!”

“Why’re you two here?” asked Hyuga.

“We were watching your match. Congrats.”

Izuki approached the counter. “Tables for 16 of us, please.”

“Wow, that’s a large party. I’m afraid we don’t have enough seating.”

“We’ll just pack ourselves in!”

“Wait, don’t just seat yourselves!”

(f/n) smiled and took the seat beside Kasamatsu, Kuroko and Kagami following her suit. The blonde and the redhead seemed a little tense to be so close, though.

“Uh, why do you all look so sad? And why are you covered in mud, Kagamicchi?”

Laughing at the incredulous look on Kise’s face, (f/n) replied for her teammate. “Let’s just say gravity’s a little too strong sometimes.” Kuroko smiled at her remark, but Kagami wasn’t amused. He wiped his face.

“Forget about the mud, and don’t use ‘-cchi’ with me.”

Suddenly, the bell above the door chimed, and the last two people anyone expected to see walked in.

“Table for two, please,” said Takao as he shook off his umbrella. Midorima was doing the same beside him. Upon seeing each other, the opposing teams tensed up.

“You two as well?! Where’s the rest of your team?”

Takao rubbed his neck as he walked further into the room. “They left us behind when Shin-chan broke down crying, so I thought why not get some grub?”

Midorima turned around. “Let’s find a different restaurant, Takao.”

Before Takao could reply, he got distracted by the ravenette beside (f/n). “Aren’t you Kasamatsu-san… from Kaijo?!”

He froze in the middle of bringing another bite of food to his lips, his face shocked. “You know me?”

“I saw you in Basketball Monthly! You’re famous for being one of the best point guards!” At that, (f/n) smiled and nudged Kasamatsu with her elbow. He glanced to her; his fork was still in purgatory. “Hold on, we play the same position! I’ve got a ton to ask you about! Mind if we join you?”

Hyuga sighed. “We’re kind of celebrating here… do you mind?”

“Oh, I don’t mind at all! Now then, Kasamatsu-san… Over here!” Takao gestured for two open seats nearby. Kasamatsu stared at the seats, then at Kise, then at (f/n), and finally back at Takao. (f/n) just nodded for him to go.

“Okay, feel free.” He stood, grabbed his jacket, and made his way over to the other point guard. This forced Midorima to sit in the now vacant seat. (f/n) felt even more tense than during the game.

Kuroko broke the silence. “Now, what should we order? I’m quite hungry.” He opened his menu.

Eating another bite of his food, Kise shook his head. “I’m already pretty full. What I have here is fine for me.”

Midorima eyed his meal choice. “Only _ you _would insist on eating something so gross.”

“You don’t gotta put it like that!”

Soon, the waitress arrived, and Kagami took to ordering first. “Squid, pork, mixed plate, octopus, pork kimchee…”

“You chanting a curse over there?!”

(f/n) shook her head. “I still don’t understand where you put all that food.”

* * *

“Midorimacchi, your food’s getting cold.”

Arms crossed, he shook his head. “I don’t very much feel like eating right now.”

“I get you’re sad you lost, but… C’mon! Yesterday’s enemy is today’s… something or other…” Kise trailed off, taking another bite.

“A loss is a loss! I’m already past that. What I fail to understand is why you’re sitting so carefree at a table with the very same rivals who beat you!”

Grinning, the blonde nodded. “Oh, that… That’s because I’ll get my revenge on the Inter High stage!” Everyone looked up at him. “I won’t lose again.”

Kagami grinned in return. “Yeah, that’s what I like to hear.”

(f/n) looked over to see Midorima’s eyes narrow. She remained silent. What could she even say in a situation like this? It was absurd.

“Kise, you’ve changed a bit.”

“That so?”

“Your eyes… are strange.”

“Well, ever since losing to Kurokocchi and (f/n)-chan’s team, I’ve actually been practicing unlike before. Beyond that,” his eyes softened, “I’m finally having fun playing basketball with my buddies at Kaijo…”

“Then I was utterly mistaken. You haven’t changed at all. You’ve only regressed to a time before we were three-time champs.” With that, Midorima began eating again.

Kuroko lowered his head. “But, it’s not like we were all like that back then.” His eyes rose to meet (f/n)’s, and she smiled.

“You all can change however you want, but when I play basketball, fun is not a factor.”

Kagami groaned. “You guys think way too hard about this junk. Of course you’re supposed to play basketball because it’s fun.”

Glaring, Midorima turned to Kagami, completely ignoring the girl between them. “What’d you say? I’ll ask you not to speak on matters you’re completely ignorant about.”

Suddenly, a wad of some sort of food hit Midorima in the back of the head, and he rose from his seat with a stern face. “We’ll have that talk later. Get over here, Takao.”

The point guard was smiling awkwardly. “Sorry, sorry! Seriously, dude, sorry— What are you doing with that…?!”

_ Crash _

Turning around in her seat, the girl looked to Kasamatsu. His eyes were wide as they met hers. When they did, though, they crinkled at the edges due to his amused smile. She smiled in return before turning back around.

“It’s just as you said, Kagami-kun. I thought that during the game today. If we hadn’t been enjoying it, we never would’ve played so hard.”

(f/n) nodded. “Yeah, and we finally looked like a team out there.”

“Hey, looks like the rain let up!”

“I guess it’s time to head home.”

Suddenly, Midorima struck the table beside Kagami with his hand. “Kagami, let me give you one warning. There are two members of the Generation of Miracles in Tokyo, myself and… Aomine Daiki.” (f/n) felt herself tense at the name. So he had been in the same district this whole time? Did he know she was here? “I expect you’ll face him in the finals league. You should know… that he’s the same type of player as you.”

Kagami’s eyes widened. “Huh? The hell’s that supposed to mean? You’re basically just saying he’s good?”

Kuroko’s face grew dark. “Yes, he’s good. But, the way he plays basketball… I don’t like it.”

The table grew silent. Kise seemed deep in thought, as was (f/n). She felt her heart constrict in her chest. Just how much had he changed if even Kuroko rejected him?

Would she recognize him?

“Anyhow, do your best against him.” The green haired man picked up his bag and turned.

“Midorima-kun! Let’s play each other again someday.”

He didn’t even face Kuroko as he replied. “Sure, but, next time, I’ll win.” Before he could get out the door, (f/n) stood and approached him. It was as if he felt her presence, so he turned.

“(f/n).”

“Shintarou, I just wanted to say that I missed playing with you. That was a great game.”

He nodded, face as blank as ever but eyes a little crinkled at the edges. When he spoke, his voice was a little soft. “I missed you as well.”

Before he could turn and end the conversation early like he always did, (f/n) grabbed his arm. “Can I have your number?”

The man of green hair complied without a word. Once she had his number, he turned and beckoned Takao to follow him. “Goodbye, (f/n).”

“See ya, Shintarou.”

With that, Hyuga gathered his team. “Let’s head out!”

When Izuki approached the front desk, he nearly had a stroke. “50,000 yen?! How much did that bonehead Kagami eat?!”

Laughing, (f/n) informed her team that she wouldn’t be traveling home with them, and they parted ways with tired grins. She turned to see Kasamatsu and Kise paying for their own meals and headed toward them.

“Mind if I head home with you guys?”

“(f/n)-chan?! You came back for us?”

“I guess you could say that.”

The trio stepped outside and began the walk home. A little ways down the street, Kise put his arm around (f/n)’s shoulder and pulled her into a side hug.

“I’m so proud of you, (f/n)-chan! You played amazingly!”

The girl’s cheeks flushed. “Thanks, Ryouta.”

“When you get home, you really need to rest, though. You must be exhausted.”

The two fell into step, Kasamatsu trailing behind with his hands in his pockets. Slowly but surely, they were getting within ten blocks of the girl’s apartment. “I definitely will. I’m surprised I’m still upright.”

“It’s because you’re strong!”

She laughed. “I guess so.”

Soon, Kise said goodbye to head his own way. His home was in a different direction than his two friends’. He hugged (f/n) one last time before he receded into the distance. The remaining two kept on.

“You did play amazingly today.”

She turned to the man beside her, a proud smile on her face. “You really think so?”

He looked down at her with a frown. “You didn’t question Kise when he said it.”

“Well, he would say it no matter what; he always seems to be proud of me.” She laughed, and they fell into silence again. After a few more minutes, her apartment came into view. Before she could make it, her legs gave out. She headed for the ground. It was as if she’d taken out a loan from gravity, and the bank was back to receive payment. Kasamatsu caught her.

“You alright?” His face was laced with worry, and she nodded. Sighing, the man wrapped her arm around his neck and his arm around her back. He supported her to the door, which she unlocked, then to the couch. She sat down. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah, it’s to be expected.” She was met with questioning eyes. He didn’t sit down. “While I was in America, I injured both my knees. Overextended them. I had surgery, but they’ve never been the same.”

Kasamatsu was exasperated. “And you haven’t told your team?”

“No, they haven’t been a problem until now.”

“You should still tell your team so they won’t push you too far.”

“I’m only like this because I played two games today.” She busied herself rolling up her sweatpants, and Kasamatsu sat down. A look of deep thought trailed across his face before he spoke again.

“It was the jumps.”

“Hmm?”

He looked to the girl. “You may not have expended yourself like Kagami, but you still pushed yourself too far. You pulled off that jump you used against me too many times today.”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry so much, Kasamatsu.” With that, she finished rolling up her pants, leaving her knees in view. A slight purple tint was appearing around the joints. The man furrowed his brows.

“You can’t stop my worrying.” He rose from the couch and entered the kitchen. After a second, he brought two bags of frozen peas and a towel to the girl. Without a word, he laid the towel across her knees and set a bag on each one. “Don’t take these off.”

She laughed a little at his mothering tendencies. “Thank you.” He looked away. “I’m sorry. I won’t push myself so far next time.”

His eyes met hers, a blush forming on his cheeks. “I meant it.”

“What?”

He looked away. “You shined on the court.”

A soft smile curled the girl’s lips. “So do you. Even Takao said it; you’re one of the best point guards ever.”

“He didn’t even ask me questions.”

A laugh escaped her at that. “So he was just getting you away from me? What a brat.”

He laughed. “At least he knows how to use honorifics.”

Frowning, (f/n) sat up a little more. She couldn’t get comfortable; her entire body ached. “Is that aimed at me?”

“Maybe.”

“Rude.”

He laughed even louder. It was more emotion than she’d ever seen out of the point guard, pure happiness. Her eyes grew wide when she saw his dimples; had those always been there? Maybe she’d never seen them because he rarely laughed so genuinely. She smiled wider, but his face fell suddenly serious, and she frowned at the loss of his smile. “Not as rude as Kagami. What was that altercation on the bench about anyways?”

(f/n)’s face fell even further. The redhead really had been rude. “He thought he didn’t need the team to win, and that passing was basically throwing the game.”

“He really doesn’t understand teamwork.”

“No, not like you, Cap.”

He sighed. “Next time, don’t get in the middle of a fight.”

“He wouldn’t have hurt me.”

“You don’t know that.”

Smiling, she shook her head dismissively. “Well, if he did, he’d have to face my overly protective friend’s wrath.”

Kasamatsu didn’t know what to say to that, so he said nothing. He was content with the comfortable silence that wrapped itself around them, and he was content with how comfortable he now felt with the girl. Their friendship was growing like a sunflower, slowly but surely getting larger.

He was happy.

And she’d probably be mad at him within the week.


	15. Chapter 15

Even after a completely relaxed Sunday, (f/n) was exhausted at school. She wasn’t the only one, however. Glancing over, she saw Kagami and Kuroko, both off in dreamland. She smiled and shook her head. They were probably dreaming about basketball. Facing the front again, she pulled up her knee high socks; she’d worn them because the bruising around her knees still hadn’t disappeared. She really didn’t want to sit out of practice.

Finally, the teacher began to dismiss the class. “That’s all for today. Oh, and as I’m sure you all know, two days from now you’ll have your proficiency tests. Make sure you study hard in all of your subjects!”

With a tired smile, (f/n) rose from her seat and headed over to her teammates to wake them up. Kuroko was easy, but Kagami wouldn’t budge, so the girl smacked him upside the head. That worked.

“Sheesh, first I get hit in the head, and now we have to bring our midterms to coach. Someone’s always on my butt about something.”

“For good reason.” (f/n) looked over to see the other first years approaching. “Hey, guys!”

As they made their way to the gym, Kagami asked, “You guys bring your old tests too?”

“Yeah.”

Kawahara yawned. “Whadaya think this is all about? I heard that kids who fail can’t compete in the Inter High. Maybe it’s that…”

“But these proficiency tests don’t affect our grades, right?”

They walked through the gymnasium doors. “Huh, really?”

Kagami laughed. “Then there’s no problem! Shouldn’t we be practicing basketball instead?”

Riko approached the group, shaking her head. “There definitely is a problem! Sure, these tests don’t affect your grades, but there’re 300 kids in each grade at our school. These tests determine our rankings.”

Standing over to the side, Izuki continued. “The bottom hundred have to start attending extra lessons starting next Saturday. That’s where the problem comes in…”

“Saturday…” Everyone mulled over the date, then came to the same conclusion. “The Finals League!”

“Yep, so if you bomb these tests, you’re out of the game.”

Hyuga stepped in front of his team. “So then, if we decide you’re on thin ice based on your midterm scores, you’ll be attending cramming sessions starting tonight at the coach’s house.”

With that, everyone handed their previous tests to the coach, who looked each over with analyzing eyes. Soon, she got to Kuroko’s tests.

“He’s so average!”

“Not bad, I guess, but not good either…”

“But he’s okay in Japanese! Average in everything else though…”

Kagami punched Kuroko’s shoulder. “Wow, who knew you were such a brainiac!”

“Oh no…” Riko turned to Kagami’s tests, and her eyes almost fell out of her head. “I mean, we know he’s an idiot, but this bad?!”

“Who gets a zero on a test?!”

“How’d you even flunk English?! Didn’t you live in America?!”

Kagami was offended. “The English we learn here’s way too textbook! It’s different than having a normal conversation!!”

Riko handed the tests to Hyuga, who was muttering to himself about how awful they were, before kicking Kagami’s legs out from underneath him. “Don’t talk back to your elders!”

Hyuga sighed, regaining his composure a bit. “Looks like we’ll all have to pitch in and tutor this guy…”

From his seat on the floor, Kagami looked up at the second years. “What? You’re all nerdy enough to teach this stuff?”

Riko kicked him again. “Don’t look down on us!”

Hyuga shook his head, choosing to ignore Riko’s pending assault charges. “Nerdier than you.”

“Not nerdier than (l/n) though!” Izuki exclaimed from behind his captain.

“Huh?” They all circled around the point guard, their eyes on (f/n)’s tests. “Woah, she really aced all her subjects?!”

“She barely missed any questions!”

Riko smiled, “Okay, (f/n), you’ll be helping us tutor this fool!”

She had been hiding her face due to their prying eyes, but she looked up at her coach’s words. “Alright.”

“So, Kagami, you have a potential first ranked student, and a second ranked student here to help you!”

The first years eyed their ‘elders’. “What are your ranks?”

“112th.” Hyuga.

“81st,” Tsuchida, “and Mitobe’s 74th.”

“71st.” Izuki.

“52nd!” Koganei.

“2nd.” Riko.

“Woah, Coach, you were second?! You’re that smart?!”

“But the captain… I thought he’d be higher since he wears glasses and all…”

Hyuga threw a ball at Furihata. “Not everyone who wears glasses is smart!! Better than average is good enough!”

Sitting up once more, Kagami muttered, “I’m good at basketball. Who cares about academics…”

Standing over him once more, Riko pointed at him. “Any idiot can play basketball! But idiots don’t win!

* * *

Kagami was not a proficient learner. The second years constantly got frustrated at having to explain concepts over and over, but (f/n) calmed them. She explained things to Kagami in multiple ways until he could understand, then allowed him to do the work. The others followed after, and they made progress.

Unsurprisingly, Kagami was dead on his feet due to the lack of sleep, but he powered through. It seemed facing the other members of the Generation of Miracles really empowered him, and he persevered.

Soon, it was test day. (f/n) was more worried for Kagami than she was for herself. When she sat down beside him, that worry intensified. His eyes were searching the middle distance for clarity; he looked like a fish out of water.

“Don’t worry, Kagami, it’ll all work out.”

“Kagami-kun.”

He turned to Kuroko. “What?”

“I want you to have this.”

He held out a pencil with writing on all sides and numbers around the top. “What’s this?”

“Midorima-kun’s magic dice pencil.”

(f/n) laughed at that. Of course, the pencil of fate. She wondered when Kagami would resort to it.

He started rolling it halfway through the first test.

Even though he resorted to luck, his tests were good, and he placed within the top 100, 90th to be exact. Everyone was amazed, but Hyuga was a bit melancholy. It seemed he felt bad about Kagami and the pencil beating his scores.

When everyone arrived at the gym for practice later that day, Riko pulled (f/n) to the side, a frown lacing her features “(l/n)-chan, I’m having you sit out with Kagami-kun until your legs heal, so no practice until you’re fully recovered.”

“What? I’m fine.”

Riko shook her head. “I was told to look at your knees if you said something like that. So, roll down your socks.” Frowning, the (h/c) complied, pushing down her knee socks. The bruising was still there, now a combination of purple and yellow. Her coach’s eyes widened. “How did I not realize your knees were in such bad shape?”

Pulling her socks back up, (f/n) stood. “They’re not that bad.”

“You need rest. That’s an order. You really should take better care of yourself, and you should’ve told me about your condition. We all care about you, you know?”

(f/n) nodded, and her response was a kind smile. With that, Riko walked away to tell everyone their regimen for the day, and (f/n) made her way over to Kagami. He was sulking on the sidelines.

“Why aren’t you changed?”

“Coach is making me sit out too.”

“Why?”

In response, she just showed him. His eyes widened as he looked at his own knees. “Yours look worse than mine! How did you walk after the match?!”

She shrugged. “I guess I’m just used to it. I can’t believe she found out with me covering them…” Her eyes widened in realization. “Kasamatsu!”

“Huh?”

Kagami looked puzzled as she rummaged for her phone. “Kasamatsu told her about my knees! I told him I was fine…”

Shaking his head, Kagami placed a hand on her shoulder. He kept his eyes on his teammates who were running sprints from end line to end line. “If coach made you sit out, then there’s good reason. You should take care and rest.”

Nodding, she sighed. “I know. I just want to be as strong as the rest of the team, no setbacks.”

“If you played with your knees like that, you’re as strong if not stronger than the rest of the team. Don’t worry about that.” He grinned down at her, a new light shining in his red eyes. “We’re all here to support you, so don’t feel bad about needing us to sub in for you or anything like that. We’re a team.”

She smiled. “Yeah, a team.”

That’s when a bark reached her ears, and Kagami ran in an instant. She turned to meet with a small grey and white dog with blue eyes that reminded her too much of Kuroko.

“Whose dog?”

Kuroko walked over and picked up the small animal. “He’s mine. His name is Tetsuya #2.”

After that, the two were inseparable. #2 sat on her lap the entire practice, and she was glad. The new team member made being benched a little more bearable.

* * *

That night, she texted Kasamatsu two words.

You traitor.  
  


He laughed when he received that. He didn’t think it’d take so long for her to find out he went behind her back. At least she was still talking to him. Before he could type a reply, his phone vibrated again.

But thank you. I’m gonna take care of myself more, so you don’t have to worry about me  
  


He smiled more at that.

I’m glad.  
  


* * *

Even though she said she’d take care of herself, she was still jealous, but not more than Kagami. He tried sneaking shots in, but each only resulted in him getting yelled at and hit.

(f/n) was the most jealous when the team was at the pool for morning practice. It wasn’t the training she was envious of, but the feeling of the water on her skin. That’s why she sneaked her swimsuit in. She took her chance to run out when Kagami was startled by #2 yet again, and no one seemed to notice her short absence. By the time she returned, another guest had entered. She’d have recognized that cherry blossom pink hair anywhere.

“Satsuki?”

At her name, the girl spun around. “(f/n)-chan! I was hoping to see you as well!” She ran to the (h/c) and hugged her.

“You knew I was here?”

“Of course! I’m still a manager, and your name was one of the first I noticed when I went to look at Seirin’s roster.”

(f/n) smiled. “I wish we could’ve seen each other sooner.”

“Me too! Dai-chan was surprised when I told him you were back.”

At that, (f/n) dropped the towel in her hand. She heard a few whispers behind her, but she stayed silent. She didn’t know how to reply. Aomine made her nervous. If anyone was mad at her for leaving, it was him.

Before she could speak, Riko’s voice was heard echoing around the swimming pool. “Stop peeking at their bodies! All you men are the same: rotten!!”

When (f/n) looked up, she saw the blushing faces of her teammates, and a reeling Hyuga who had just received the brunt of Riko’s attack. Momoi was shocked. “You’ve gone and killed Hyuga-san!”

The captain’s eyes widened. “You know my name?”

(f/n) recognized the knowing grin on Momoi’s face. She really was the best at intel on other teams. “Of course! You’re Seirin’s clutch-shooting basketball captain, Hyuga-san.” Naming each of the other members and their skills, she basked in the astonishment. Not for long, though, due to Kuroko’s abrupt question. No one had even noticed him exit the pool.

“Momoi-san, aren’t you at the same school as Aomine-kun?”

Frowning a bit, she nodded. “I really wanted to go to the same school as you, Tetsu-kun, but, if I left him on his own, there’d be no telling the trouble he’d cause…”

The following silence only heightened (f/n)’s nerves. Had her best friend from Teikou really changed so much that even Momoi seemed wary of him? Fear ran through her veins at the thought of meeting him so soon, the new Aomine.

Everyone got out of the pool to shower, leaving Kuroko, (f/n), and Momoi sitting on the bench near the water. “So you two are in the finals league? Congrats!” (f/n) remained in silent thought, so Kuroko decided to carry the conversation. He had seen the look on her face at Aomine’s name, and he knew the turmoil inside her mind.

“Your team too, Momoi-san.”

“Oh, did I mention that?”

“Yes, you did.”

She awkwardly laughed. “Did I really?”

“Yes.”

Her pink hair fell in her face as her upbeat facade was broken. “So the next time we meet… we’ll be on opposite benches.”

“Yes.”

“I saw the replay of your match against Midorin. It was really amazing. That… Kagami was it? He’s the spitting image of _ him _, from way back when.” (f/n)’s breath hitched at those words. She had thought that too, but the way Momoi spoke… All of it really was in the past.

“Yes.”

Eyes growing nostalgic, Momoi continued. “Sitting with you both like this, it brings back memories. Tetsukun, he and you were always the most in synch of the Miracles. And (f/n)-chan, you were always closer to him than even I was.” Sighing, the pink haired girl looked to her two friends. “I really hope we can get back to how it used to be. Now, it’s like he’s playing all alone, isolated from the rest of the team. I’m sure things would change if he lost a game, but… he never loses. Even by himself, nobody can stop him.” She paused abruptly. “Ah, sorry, talking about the past, things always get dark…”

“Would Aomine-kun change… if I were to stop him?” Kuroko’s voice was unusually low, his eyes set on an invisible goal.

“Huh?”

“I know how good Aomine-kun is, but it’s not as if I’m on my own.”

With that, he rose from the bench to join the rest of the team, his resolve almost palpable. Momoi rose as well, but she turned around to look at her old friend.

“I’m glad you’re back, and I know that you’re afraid to face Dai-chan, but just know… He’s still in there.”


	16. Chapter 16

The next day, (f/n) felt worn out even though she hadn’t exerted herself at all. She had even gone to sleep without messaging Kasamatsu, which was rare, especially when she felt the need for good advice. This situation, however, she felt she couldn’t talk about. It ate at her mind, and it felt as though it’d get worse if she even mentioned it, or that it’d be perceived as stupid to even worry about. 

She had arrived at practice without her usual smile, and the team had noticed. They had also picked up on her solidarity, knowing she wouldn’t want to speak of her troubles, so they let her be for the time being. 

“Everyone!” Riko shouted, a paper in her hand. “The list of schools in the finals league is finally here!” The entire team circled around her with deft ears. “We won A Block, Touou won B Block, Meisei won C Block, and Senshinkan won D Block. These four teams will be battling for spots.”

“Touou and Meisei… never heard of them.”

“I know Meisei; they have a great program.”

“This league lineup feels fresh.”

“Up until last year, it was a sure bet that you’d find Tokyo’s Three Kings in here.”

When Koganei received the bracket, his eyes were wide. “You know… I’ve been thinking… I mean we actually beat _ two _of the Kings… Do you think that means this year we’ll go all the way?!”

Hyuga and Izuki looked like they could wring his neck. “This guy has totally jinxed us now!”

But that didn’t stop him. “Even if we lose against Momoi and Aomine, as long as we beat the other two…!”

Riko interrupted his exclamations. “They’re not at Senshinkan. Those two go to… Touou Academy.”

“What?!”

“I thought all the Generation of Miracles went to top notch schools! Like how Midorima went to one of the Kings!”

The coach shook her head. “I checked out Momoi’s uniform and did some research. I’m sure of it.”

Head hanging low, (f/n) eyed her feet. Even though she wouldn’t be practicing this time either, she had still worn her basketball shoes. The light blue and white stared back at her mockingly. It felt like she was still standing in the past while everyone had found their futures… far away from her. It felt like all of their memories were nothing, and she should just forget them. Her heart ached in her chest. How could she forget something so important to her?

“I’ve never heard of this place!”

“It’s not a school that’s achieved much in the past, but lately they’ve been putting a real effort into scouting. I hear they’re recruiting promising players from around the country. The past few years have seen their team grow in ability by leaps and bounds. Their lineup this year may even be on par with Shutoku’s.”

“No way… but what about Senshinkan?”

“They’re strong too, of course. Another King, just like Shutoku and Seiho. We might’ve beaten those two, but make no mistake— we’re still a notch below them.”

At that, Kagami opened the door. “You’re late!”

“My bad, I was just cleaning up…”

Hyuga walked over to him. “Here’s a copy of the league lineup!”

“Hold on…” Riko eyed Kagami’s legs. “Have you been playing basketball?”

“Uh… nope.”

“And aggravating your condition?!” She was fuming. 

“No, of course n—”

“You Kadummy!” She jumped at him, ignoring his apologies. “After I told you all those times! Are those ears of yours just for decoration?! Are they just holes in your head?!” She grabbed hold of one of them, this time ignoring Kagami’s pained voice. “Go get a compress from the nurse’s office! You’re sitting out today!! Start running! No, wait, walk on your hands!”

“Huh?”

“You heard me!”

With a groan, Kagami put himself in position for a handstand, then balanced himself on his palms. He hand-walked out the door without another word.

“Of all the—”

Hyuga held out his hand at her. “Come on, Coach, back to what we were saying. Who’s our first game against?”

“I’m upset because Kagami-kun is so indispensable! He’s the only one who can match up against a Miracle besides (l/n)-chan, and she’s not in top shape either. Get what I’m saying?”

At that, (f/n) spoke. “If it’s a game against Aomine, I’m not sure how useful I’ll be.” Everyone turned to her. 

“What do you mean?”

She sighed and rubbed her arms. “It’s complicated, but I just don’t think me facing off against Aomine would result in a win. Kagami is more suited for that than me.”

Riko realized that she shouldn’t press further, so she turned to her team. “Let’s hope he’ll be ready, because our first game is against Touou Academy!” The (h/c)’s eyes widened. “The big one, right from the start!”

After practice, (f/n) caught Kuroko’s arm before he could fully exit the gym. “Tetsuya… Can I talk to you for a minute?” Smiling softly, he nodded, and the two made their way to the bench. Staring at the reflections on the polished court, she began. “How did Daiki change after I left?”

Kuroko had picked up on her use of his last name earlier; it was like she didn’t know what to call him, as if the two were different. She was right. 

“It was like he blossomed. He had always been an amazing basketball player, but he reached another level in his third year. He’d score forty points or higher every game. He stopped coming to practice.” He smiled sadly. “One day, I asked him about it. He said he didn’t come to practice because it makes you better… He said the more he tried, the more boring the game got.” 

She had feared those words. After seeing how bright his smile would be as he played, she had one wish: for him to keep smiling like that. If he found basketball boring now, did he still smile? A feeling in her gut told her he didn’t. 

“He was searching for someone better than him… When we played Kamizaki he thought he’d found it in Inoue-kun.” She recognized the name. He was Aomine’s rival in a sense. He’d always given him trouble. “But he gave up. He let him pass without a fight. I believe that’s the game that changed Aomine-kun. After that, he kept saying the same words. ‘The only one who can beat me… is me.’”

So he’d given up on looking for a worthy opponent. Surely, he wouldn’t show that bright smile to her when he saw her for the first time. 

“We crushed the middle school nationals that summer with him. And because of… something that happened during nationals, I quit the basketball club.” When Kuroko looked up, he noticed (f/n)’s forlorn face. “I’m sorry, (f/n)-chan. I didn’t want to ruin your memories of him.”

Although her eyes were close to tears, she smiled up at him. “No one could ever ruin those. I’ll always have that version of him, but I’m nervous about the present version. Now I really know what to expect from him, so thank you.”

“I’m always here for you, (f/n)-chan.”

* * *

The night before the game, she couldn’t sleep. This was becoming the norm, but her insomnia was stress induced this time. Usually, she’d be excited for the next day, but all that filled her was dread. She really couldn’t believe she’d be seeing Aomine the next day. 

She was afraid. 

She hadn’t messaged Kasamatsu in days, and she felt bad about it. Would it really be right for her to message him so late at night again? Sighing, she decided he wouldn’t mind, and she opened their messages. 

Hey, I’m really sorry I haven’t been texting you. I’ve been pretty stressed lately  
  


Even at such an odd time, he was still quick to respond. 

It’s alright. I understand. Can’t sleep because of your game tomorrow?  
  
Yeah. It’s against Aomine  
  
Don’t worry about him. Worry about the game first and your past with him later. Are your legs healed enough to play?  
  
Yeah, Riko let me in for the last few practices  
  
Don’t push yourself too hard this time.  
  
I won’t. Don’t worry about me, Cap  
  
Don’t tell your seniors what to do.  
  
Sorry old man  
  
Go to bed.  
  
Okay, goodnight  
  
Goodnight and good luck.  
  


* * *

The next morning, (f/n) rose early. She stretched as soon as she got out of bed, Orion mimicking her as he yawned. It seemed it was even early for him. Grabbing her phone, she made her way to the kitchen. Orion received his breakfast with a thankful meow, and (f/n) quickly made herself some eggs and sausage. When she sat at her small table, she decided to text Kaijo’s infamous captain good morning. It seemed she was right about him being an early riser, for he replied in an instant. 

Morning. Why are you up so early?  
  
I always get up early on game day. Are you coming today?  
  
Of course.  
  


Smiling, (f/n) picked up her empty plate to wash it. At least she had one close friend to look forward to that night. If she only thought about him, she wouldn’t need to worry so much. If she could be forgotten in all the others’ lives, she could replace them as well. 

She shook her head. Kasamatsu could never be a replacement. That sounded like she was using him. No, he was his own person, and a good one at that. The more she thought about him, the more she realized that he reminded her of Aomine as well. Not that they were anything alike personality-wise. No, he had that love for basketball that Aomine used to possess. However, Kasamatsu’s was permanent. He was a strong leader, something Aomine never was, and he was very kind and caring. She wished he went to her school so that they could walk together. 

It was early July, and that meant they’d known each other for about four months, but she knew that that number would only grow. Honestly, they got along better than she ever had with anyone. Maybe they knew each other in a different universe, and in this one they were making up for lost time. 

Time, she looked at the time. If she left now, she could take her time with her walk and maybe clear her head even more. With a goodbye pet to Orion, she grabbed her bag and locked the door behind herself. The morning air was cool, the perfect temperature for a relaxing walk. July always had the best mornings, but she wasn’t a fan of the heat the sun threw at her in the afternoon; she preferred cool air as opposed to overbearing heat. 

She stopped in her tracks when she realized that Kasamatsu’s birthday was approaching. He had told her that it was July 29th when they’d first started texting. What could she get him? She knew that he liked to play the guitar and listen to music. Maybe she could get him… She nodded her head. That was a good idea. 

Soon, Seirin High School came into view, and she looked at her phone for the time. She had been right; she had arrived just on time. She saw her fellow students filing into the building, and she followed their suit.


	17. Chapter 17

By the end of the school day, (f/n)’s nerves had been all but gone. That was until she met up with the team and heard Aomine’s name. How could his name cause such an effect? She didn’t know, and she would rather not find out. 

As soon as Seirin arrived in their locker room, everyone switched into their preparations. Stretching, (f/n) stared down at her shoes. A fading pale blue and white stared back at her. She reasoned with herself to follow Kasamatsu’s words. 

Think about the game first and the past second. 

Riko’s powerful voice brought her out of her thoughts. “It’s almost time… Everyone, are you ready for this?! This first match is critical! As you all know, only three of four teams move to the Inter High! Like Koganei-kun, some of you might think there’s nothing to worry about, but…” As soon as her voice trailed off, Izuki and Mitobe grabbed hold of Koganei’s arms and held him in place. Riko assaulted his face with a paper fan that he’d made himself. “Don’t get cocky! You might be tempted to think that, given the finals league format, that one loss is fine, but that’s how you end up losing it all. This game means everything!” Burning with a fierceness unmatched, Riko’s eyes trailed over all of her players. “‘I’ll try harder next time’ isn’t real determination! It’s an excuse! You’ll fail the next time too! You gotta win this! Let’s go…”

“Seirin!” Everyone’s voices rang through the corridor in harmony. They were a team on a mission. Soon, their feet met the polished wood of their battlefield. As (f/n) set down her bag near the bench, she decided to keep her eyes on their side of the court. She needed to focus, and seeing Aomine would only crack her resolve. 

Well, it didn’t seem like she would see him within the half. Touou’s players informed Seirin that he was late. She was surprised. How could he miss half of a match that was so important? 

Even without Aomine, Touou’s starters looked formidable. They definitely held the same determination as Seirin as they took the center of the court. The latter’s strategy was to score as much as possible before the former’s missing player arrived. With that in mind, everyone watched with bated breath as the game ball flew into the air. Kagami and Touou’s Wakamatsu followed close after it. The redhead reached it first and slapped it to Izuki, but Touou’s captain, Imayoshi, intercepted the pass. 

Their break for the goal was swift. Imayoshi passed the ball behind him to Sakurai, and he made the shot from behind the three point line. It was back and forth after that, but Touou was obviously in the driver’s seat. After four minutes, they were up 10-4. 

Seirin missed their shot, and Wakamatsu came back to the ground with the rebound. He pitched it down the floor to Imayoshi, who was being closely guarded by Izuki. However, he shot the ball around Seirin’s point guard, and it went in. 

On the bench, all (f/n) could do was observe. Her eyes followed their plays, and she realized something. Koganei spoke before she could. 

“Woah, it makes sense now!”

“What’d you notice?” asked Furihata. 

“Touou’s scores throughout the qualifier tournament were 108-91, 151-72, and 131-81.”

“Wow, triple digits every time?!”

Riko nodded, but her eyes never left the game. “Yep, they’re the exact opposite of Seiho… a purely offensive team.”

(f/n) shook her head. “If you could even call them that.”

“Huh?”

“They don’t use teamwork. It’s all about whoever has the ball. They’re scoring solely through each individual’s power.”

At that moment, Sakurai went up for another long shot. It hit the rim. It still went in due to Touou’s post player getting past Kagami and tapping it in. 

Izuki got the ball, and Kagami set a pick up for him. He dribbled past and passed the ball to Mitobe. The tall man passed the ball to Hyuga. He made his shot. Imayoshi brought the ball in, flinging it down the court to Wakamatsu. In an instant, Kuroko was beside him; he jumped to intercept the ball, but he was too short. Kagami, annoyed, jumped over him and intercepted the ball. He passed the ball to Izuki. 

It truly was a game of styles: teamwork versus individual play. 

When Kagami got the ball again, he went for a three pointer, then ran to rebound, but he was boxed out as soon as the ball left his fingertips. They knew. 

“Oh, of course,” muttered (f/n). Her benchmates looked at her quizzically. “Satsuki was always good at gathering intel on the opponent. So, if we’ve pulled off a move, she knows about it, and, by virtue, all of them do too.”

“Doesn’t that mean we need a new strategy?”

Riko cut in. “No, we stay the course! It doesn’t matter how accurate their info is. It’s from the past. People grow and change. Without that little bit of common sense, all their knowledge is for nothing!”

At that moment, Hyuga had the ball at the three point line. Usually, he’d depend on a screen to get by, but he’d been practicing his dribbling. When he faked and tried to break past, though, it was like Sakurai expected it. 

“No, Satsuki always analyzed her data and accounted for how a player will change.”

Riko smiled. “I thought she might go that far. She shouldn’t underestimate us! There’s another reason I said to stay the course! A simple one… and that’s a woman’s intuition!” (f/n) smiled at her. 

Hyuga got the ball again and tried to pull the same move, but this time Kuroko set up a screen. They couldn’t predict what Kuroko would do, because barely anyone saw it. A Touou player jumped to block Hyuga, but he bounce-passed the ball to Kagami. He dunked it. 

But (f/n) noticed something off. His legs trembled a bit upon landing. Had they really healed?

When the first quarter ended, Touou was up 25-21. Everyone sat on the bench to rehydrate as Riko kneeled before them. 

“Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun will take the lead and attack! We’re really lucky to have our newbies.” Everyone looked at her, puzzled. “The more data you’ve got, the bigger the advantage. All of the second years have given her a whole year’s worth of intel. But with our first years, there’s much less to work with. Kuroko-kun’s tough to predict, Kagami-kun’s an up-and-comer, and (l/n)-chan’s change of direction can switch up a play at a moment’s notice. If there’s anyone who can challenge Momoi, it’s them. I’m leaving our duo in right now, and, (l/n)-chan, you’re going in in the second half. We have to save something for later.”

Hyuga placed his hand on Kagami’s shoulder. “Right, we’re counting on you guys.”

The break was over, and Seirin’s chosen five made their way back on the floor. Izuki received the ball, and he passed it to Kuroko. With swift movements, he punched the ball, and it forcefully made its way into Kagami’s hands. He’d used one of his jumps. The two defenders who jumped with him fell to the floor first, and he dunked the ball. 

Even though everyone was cheering, Riko’s eyes narrowed. Then, she shouted, “There’s an emergency! Quick, sub in, Koganei-kun!”

The brunette stood next to the bench in a flurry, and Kagami was surprised to hear his name called. When he sat on the bench, Riko shook her head. 

“Your leg… it’s not totally healed, right?”

“I’m good, Coach! I can still—”

From her kneeling position, Riko interrupted him. “The hospital said there was no permanent damage, so it’s not like I’m saying you can’t play at all. But, for now, we’ll tape you up. Shoes off!” He complied. She worked fast, taping his legs to reduce the strain. Out on the floor, Touou was countering. 

38-29. 

Tsuchida noticed how tense Kagami was. “Relax, Kagami! You need to trust the others!”

“Yeah, I know. We’ll all take Touou down together, right?” 

“All done! Your legs shouldn’t give you anymore trouble during this game, so get out there!” 

Kagami stood and removed his overshirt. (f/n) patted his back. “You’ve got this.” He nodded and took a step, but he stopped at Riko’s words. She was still kneeling. 

“I’m sorry.” He looked down at her. “Normally, I wouldn’t play someone who’s not 100 percent, but… We can’t win without you, Kagami-kun. Sure, we’re going on about the whole ‘team effort’ thing, but that’s just a style taught to me by a certain someone. I’m still a little green at this myself. I’m not perfect when it comes to drawing out everyone’s potential. That’s why I have to rely on you, Kagami-kun, hurt or not… I hate how powerless I feel…!”

“That really you, Coach?” Kagami looked down at her incredulously, and she returned the expression. “You manage our training, you scout, you call the plays from the bench, you massage us and tape us up… In fact, I’d say you do _ too _much. So stand tall and proud!” He began to walk past. “Think about it. How pumped do you expect me to be if you send me out there with an apology?”

With a determined grin, the coach stood. “You’ve sure got a mouth on you! Get out there!”

“Seirin makes a substitution!”

Suddenly, an arm was wrapped around Kagami’s neck from behind. (f/n)’s breath hitched when she recognized the color of the newcomer’s hair. 

Navy. 

“Good, good, get nice and pumped. You might just manage to make this fun for me.” Aomine’s voice was low, gravelly, serious. She didn’t remember it being like that. 

“Aomine?!” Kagami pulled away. 

Imayoshi walked over. “You’re finally here! Sheesh, get your gear on and get out here!”

Aomine’s eyes widened the slightest bit. “Why? We’re already winning. And there’s still a minute left in the second quarter.”

Their coach shook his head. “No, hit the court!”

With that, Aomine grinned and removed his jacket. This grin was far from the bright smiles he used to emit. It held a ferocity, a hatred in it. 

(f/n) hated it. 

49-39

“Yo, Tetsu, been a while. I’ve been wondering what look you’d have on your face. That’s a good one.” Kuroko’s glare was steady. “Looks like your heart’s in this.”

“Yes, because I promised Momoi-san.”

Aomine laughed. It rung in (f/n)’s ears in all the wrong ways. “I’ve got a good idea what you wanna say to me. So go ahead and show me on the court.”

When he turned, his eyes met (f/n)’s. He grinned despite his furrowed brows. It was almost as if his face couldn’t decide on an expression. (f/n) couldn’t decide on one either, so she just stared at him with wide eyes. He looked away without a word. 

Even his presence was a dare. 

A dare to even try. 

A dare to win. 

Touou brought the ball in, and their players made room for Aomine when he received the ball. Kagami was on him, his eyebrows low in a focused glare. Aomine sent the ball between his legs and into a crossover. Hyuga was there when he got past, but he quickly spun around and went for a layup. Kagami blocked it. 

“Go Kagami!”

It was a fast break. No matter how fast, though, Touou’s defense got back before them. Kuroko sent another flying pass to Kagami. He went for a dunk. Aomine blocked it. 

The second quarter ended. 

Aomine was muttering to himself, but he grinned that angry grin at Kagami. “Hey, not bad at all. If you thought being only ten points behind was bad, lemme show you just how good you had it.”

Wakamatsu was angry. “Damn you, Aomine! Play seriously for once! That guy blocked your shot like it was nothing.”

Aomine laughed. “Well, sure, I wasn’t being serious. I’m tired. But in the second half, I’m going all out.” His eyes caught (f/n)’s again. They were also a dare. 

Get on the court. 

When Seirin got in the locker room, they all collapsed. Discouragement was present, as was determination. Which would win?

“Good work in the first half! Now, for our comeback in the second half! It’s time for an energy boost!” She held out some lemons in honey, but they were...whole. 

Hyuga looked like he could cry. “Cut them! I always tell you to cut them first!”

“But I washed them! Can’t you eat them rind and all…?”

Izuki grabbed Mitobe’s shoulder. “You got some, Mitobe?” He nodded. 

“Thank heavens for Mitobe!”

Riko sulked in the corner. 

“You don’t want any, Kuroko?”

The man shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”

Riko came up beside him. “You played extensively in the first half, Kuroko-kun, so I’ll have you hang back for now. And you better refuel.”

Kuroko shook his head. “For the second half… could you keep me in the whole time?”

“Huh?”

Hyuga adjusted his glasses. “The second half too? I know it’d be tough to face Aomine without Kuroko, but can he really do it? Can he keep up his misdirection the entire game?”

“I’m against it. My eagle eye showed me that it’s already losing its effectiveness. You should rest for a while.”

Kuroko turned away. “I can do it. No, I _ will _do it. Because, no matter what, I want to beat Aomine-kun.”

“We appreciate your enthusiasm, but still…”

Kagami stood up. “Can I get one of these, Coach?” He took one of the whole lemons and… shoved it in Kuroko’s mouth. “Eat up and hang back, dummy. You’re the one who said basketball can’t be played alone! Leave it to us!”

Riko stood in front of her team. “Alright, Kuroko-kun will rest the first part of the second half. (l/n)-chan will go in. The fourth quarter will decide it all! That said, if we can’t make a comeback, it’s all for nothing. Be ready to get out there if things are looking hairy, Kuroko-kun. And eat some lemons.” She paused. “Our opponent’s strongest in the paint, so, Tsuchida-kun, you go in for Izuki-kun. You and Mitobe-kun will stay inside! Hyuga-kun and (l/n)-chan, you’re on Mr. I’m Sorry and Four Eyes. Our biggest threat is Aomine-kun. Naturally, there’s only one who can keep up with him. Kagami-kun, it’s all up to you!”

“Got it!”

“Let’s go Seirin!”

Kuroko approached Seirin’s ace. “Kagami-kun, listen, I’ve never actually seen him at his best, not since he really blossomed. What’s more, I’m sure he’s improved, just as Kise-kun and Midorima-kun have. So, going forward, he represents an unknown quantity. Please be careful out there.”

Kagami laughed. “Just what I was hoping to hear!”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so thankful that I've gotten so many reads on this story! I honestly thought no one would enjoy this story, what with the series being long over and its blatant following of the original story line. So, if you're reading this, thank you! On another note, I'm pretty sure this chapter is the best one I've ever written, so I hope you enjoy it!

When her feet hit the polished surface of the court, (f/n) felt something surge through her. It was that want to prove herself again, this time to her former best friend. Kagami approached Aomine. 

“Hey, you good and pumped now?”

“I wanna see you struggle to the bitter end, if you even can.”

“That’s the plan,” inserted (f/n) as she stretched her arms. Her grin caused Aomine to furrow his brows. “What’s a triumph without a struggle? Where’s strength without a fight?” Aomine stayed silent. Deciding she had no more to say, she placed her hand on Kagami’s arm and turned him towards their defensive end. The redhead followed wordlessly, his mind on her previous words.

She really believed in Kuroko’s same philosophy, huh?

Aomine got the ball. He broke past Kagami without effort. Tsuchida and Mitobe jumped to block, but Aomine pulled off his fade-away, even from such a speed. Kagami was too slow, but he still tried to block it. 

Hyuga quickly passed the ball down to Kagami, who was already under the goal. He went for a layup, but Aomine made it back with lightning speed and blocked it. Aomine laughed. 

“It really doesn’t suit me… getting so serious about basketball.”

(f/n)’s eyes widened at his words. Had his life not been wholly encompassed by basketball? Why would being serious about one’s passion not suit them? Her Aomine had been an artist, fully engulfed by his passion for the sport, among the waves of his chosen ocean. 

Had he really drowned?

When he brought the ball down the floor again, Kagami was just as fast, but Aomine let the ball slip out of his hands and behind his defender. “Whoops.” He quickly spun around Kagami and received his own pass. Then, he crossed it behind his back and made Kagami stumble to the ground. Hyuga, Mitobe, and Tsuchida all jumped to block him, but he went past the goal and threw the ball from behind it. It went up, over, and in. 

His grin was mocking. 

(f/n) decided it was time to wipe that grin off his face. If beating him would bring his previous self back, she’d give all of her will to pull it off. 

55-39

When Aomine broke away again, Kagami jumped even higher than before. In response, Aomine gave into gravity. He fell backwards into the purgatory that is the air, allowing the floor to become his parallel, and, in that in between, he sent the ball away from himself with that same imperfect form he’d pioneered.

It swished. 

(f/n) brought the ball down, but before she reached the half court line, she remembered Midorima. She wasn’t on his level; she doubted she’d ever have what it takes to go up for a shot at the end line. However, she believed she was at least half the shooter he was. Belief was her strength. So, with her toes barely on the half line, she went up for her risky shot. Well, was it really a risk if she fully believed it would soar through that shared goal?

It swished. 

“Woah!”

“She can shoot from that far?!”

When Touou brought the ball back, Aomine received it. He dribbled effortlessly around defenders, but (f/n) came from behind him and slapped the ball out of his unsuspecting hands. 

She’d done that many times in her life. His style had obviously evolved since the last time they played, but the foundation from those years ago was still there. Behind that new facade of a careless man was the groundwork of the boy she had known. When he turned, he always hesitated for a split second before his center of gravity followed him. It wasn’t an obvious hesitation, and its time span had shortened, but she saw it nonetheless. 

She dribbled down the floor with as much speed as she could muster. He was still faster. He always had been. He got in front of her before she could blink. Or perhaps she blinked and he appeared out of the ether. Either way, she didn’t allow his sudden appearance to surprise her. Without any warning, she passed the ball behind her. She never telegraphed her passes. Hyuga went up for his shot.

It swished.

Aomine got the ball, and he ran down the floor. Should it really be called running? He was like lightning, a sonic boom. Kagami chased him and jumped to block, determination swimming in his crimson eyes. Aomine, even in the air, had the gall to grin as he moved the ball to the small of his back. Then, as if on auto pilot, the ball left his hand, and unsurprisingly…

It swished.

Seirin brought the ball back down. (f/n) went for a pass to Kagami again, but Aomine intercepted it. Huffing in exasperation, she made to correct her mistake. She knew she should’ve passed to Hyuga, the less obvious receiver, but she had no say in that now. All she could do was run. She ran with all her might and, out of sheer willpower, shot in front of the ace. He twirled with inhumane speed. She kept up with him. 

He spun again. 

His hand extended with that effortless grace. 

So did hers, a mirror.

She reached into his center of rotation. 

His hand continued outwards, the ball following, 

Yet all of his focus was on the ball,

Not on her. 

His eyes widened as he spun, his hand connecting with her head seemingly without warning. 

She spun toward the floor, gravity stronger than any will to make her stop,

Cranium upon the polished wood she so wished to be upon,

And she didn’t move.

“(l/n)!”

“Referee timeout!”

Gravity, so strong in its pull on the girl, kept every foot in place. Angered, Kagami looked up at Aomine, who was spinning the ball on his finger as if he hadn’t a care in the world. 

“You bastard!”

Before Kagami could jump on the ace, his team held him back. They all watched as a group of medics turned her onto her back. A large knot was already forming on her temple, and purple was making itself known. The medics placed her softly on a stretcher, carrying her off the court and down a hallway, the slam of the door behind them seemingly the only sound. Still, no one moved.

Riko sighed. “Let’s get back to the bench to regroup.”

Seirin sat upon their bench, dejected and worried faces staring up at their coach. They all knew that (f/n) had been their best bet at winning. She’d even stolen the ball from Aomine. Now, she was carried away from them, and they didn’t even know if she was alright. 

Riko was at a loss for what to say. No one had expected an injury like that to occur. Kagami beat her to a conversation topic. 

“That bastard didn’t even care that he hurt (l/n)! I’m gonna kill him!”

Kuroko placed a hand on his shoulder. “No, Aomine-kun did care.” Everyone looked to their blue haired teammate. “His eyes… They were worried. He still cares about (f/n)-chan, but that doesn’t mean we won’t repay him.”

Kagami, still fuming, was about to reply, but Riko beat him to it this time. “Would (l/n)-chan want you to throw this game based on your anger?” Surprised, Kagami shook his head. “No, she would want us to get out there and win it in her stead! Izuki-kun, you’re back in! We’re going to avenge her!”

With that, the referee timeout ended, and the teams returned to the court. They were still shaken by the injury, but they had a game to finish.    
  


* * *

Kasamatsu had been watching the game alone. He had watched as (f/n) was subbed in; he had been amazed when she made that half court shot; he had been proud when she stole the ball; and he had been shaken to his core when he saw her head connect with the floor. 

He had burst from his seat, worry drowning out any other emotion he could’ve felt in that moment. What other emotion was there to feel? He had run down the stairs as he watched her be placed on the stretcher. He had sprinted to the nearest door to where the medics carried her away. All he could think about was getting to her.

Even in his dress shoes, he was fast. His tie flowed behind him erratically, just as his heart beat in his chest. He barely thought about his whereabouts; all he knew was that he had to get to her. 

He absolutely  _ had  _ to get to her.

“Where are you going?”

He was stopped by a security guard with wide eyes; he must have seen the urgency in Kasamatsu’s expression. “Did you see where they took her?!” He barely registered that he had yelled, or that his voice had cracked midway through.

The guard pointed further down the hall. “There’s an exit on the right. They’re probably waiting for an ambulance out there.”

As soon as Kasamatsu heard the word ‘ambulance’ he had picked up speed again. He saw the exit sign once he rounded the corner. Its red glow was like a beacon, like a finish line. He wouldn’t stop running until he found himself in her presence. She was just beyond those doors, just beyond that sign. 

She had told him not to worry, that she’d take care of herself. And there she had been, carried off of the court on a stretcher. He knew it wasn’t her fault, but he couldn’t help but be angry. She wasn’t supposed to be hurt. 

_ He wanted to protect her.  _

When he burst through the doors, the medics jumped. They had just loaded the girl into an ambulance. 

“Wait!” 

He ran to the still open doors. Her eyes were still closed. 

“Who’re you?”

He frantically looked to the man next to him. “I’m Kasamatsu Yukio. I’m her friend.”

The man nodded. “Well, get in. We’re headed to the hospital to test her for brain trauma.”

Both men climbed in on either side of (f/n)’s stretcher. Soon, the ambulance began to move. The movement seemed to wake the girl up. Slowly, her eyes opened, but only a little. They fell onto the man. 

“Yukio?”

His breath hitched. He hadn’t expected to hear his first name from her, especially at a time like this. He could only nod. All thoughts left his mind when he met her gaze. She smiled, but it turned pained, and she squeezed her eyes shut. 

“She’s probably sensitive to the light,” spoke the medic from the other side of (f/n). She nodded and held out her hand to Kasamatsu, eyes still hidden. He looked at her hand quizzically. She made a squeezing motion. 

Oh.

Timidly, the man grabbed her outstretched hand, and she smiled. She squeezed his fingers; he returned it. He couldn’t help but smile despite his worry, despite the heat that rose to his cheeks. His shyness was no matter when it came to calming her in her time of need.

Finally, they reached the hospital, and they rolled (f/n) into the emergency room. Kasamatsu trailed beside her, his hand still wrapped around hers. He stayed in the other room when they did a CT scan, but otherwise he was right by her side the entire time. He held her hand as she answered the doctor’s questions; he scooted closer to shade her face from the light. 

Soon, all the tests were complete, and the doctor re-entered the room. He looked down at his report, then to Kasamatsu. As he began to speak, (f/n) squeezed Kasamatu’s hand nervously. “She does have a concussion, though it isn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Her CT scan showed no serious brain damage. Her memory is good, but her concentration is lacking. She is sensitive to light and loud noises. She is having trouble balancing. With these things in mind, I would like to keep her overnight and assess her in the morning, just to be sure that her condition is stable. We can dim the lights, and you need to get as much rest as possible. Sleep is the best thing you can do to help you heal. Also, don’t do any strenuous activities or activities that require a lot of concentration. Your brain needs rest as well. Once your symptoms lessen enough, we’ll let you gradually get back into the swing of things. I will call your school in the morning to inform them of your condition and excuse you from showing up until you’re ready.”

“Okay, thank you.”

With that, the doctor rose from his seat, dimmed the lights, and exited the room. (f/n) slowly adjusted her eyes to the light before turning to Kasamatsu. “I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“I told you not to worry, and now I’m in a hospital bed. And I called you by your first name when I knew how you felt about respect and honorifics and all that.”

The captain shook his head. “Don’t apologize.” He sighed and looked away. “You had no control over that. And… it’s okay for you to call me by my first name.”

She looked to him; his cheeks were red. She smiled. “Well, you better call me by mine too.” He nodded, awkwardly squeezing her hand before pulling his own away. 

“You should get some rest. Like he said, it’s the best thing you can do.” 

She nodded. “Okay.” He rose from his seat as she turned on her side to get comfortable, but her voice stopped him before he could exit the room. “Thank you, Yukio.” He turned to face her, a small smile on his face. 

“You’re welcome, (f/n).”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I finally found out you can code text messages on AO3! I went back to the previous chapters and added the text message effect to all of them, and I feel like it makes it so much more realistic! I hope you guys like it :)

As Kasamatsu leaned against the doorway to (f/n)’s room, he peeked in again. She was sleeping soundly, the steady motion of her breathing a calming sight. He smiled a bit. She deserved some rest. Actually, she deserved not to be injured at all. Sighing, he turned to look down the hall, and that’s where he saw the last face he wanted grace his sight that evening.

Aomine. 

His eyebrows furrowed in a glare, and he stood to his full height. He was an inch taller than the Touou ace, and he used it as much as he could. He refused to feel fear; he refused to back down from anyone who injured his friends, especially (f/n). His frown fell further than it ever had in relation to her. 

He was angry.

“What are you doing here?”

Aomine looked at him with disinterest. “Who’re you?”

Kasamatsu felt his rage heightening at how disrespectful the other man was. “I’ll be your worst nightmare if you lay a hand on (f/n) again.”

Pausing for a moment, Aomine laughed. “Ah, I see…” he drawled. “You’re my replacement, huh?” His eyes narrowed at the ravenette before him. “She really knows how to pick ‘em.” Kasamatsu’s eyebrows rose, their hard furrow replaced with slight bafflement.

“What are you talking about?”

Aomine laughed again. “You really think you’re special, right? You’re her closest friend?” Kasamatsu was silent. “She’ll never care about you as much as me. She won’t look at you like me. So just give up on her.”

He shoved his way past Kasamatsu, and the older man turned. “You’re—” Aomine stared back at him blankly, waiting for his words, but they never came. His protective nature fell flat. He felt useless. 

Why couldn’t he just speak?

“Well, while you’re thinking up a comeback, I’ve got somethin’ to do.” He left the other man in the hallway and eyed (f/n)’s sleeping form. He glared at the obvious knot on her forehead and the colors swirling around it. He noticed a notepad and pen on the table beside her bed. He quickly wrote a note before walking out the door again. Kasamatsu glared at him as he walked past. 

“Think of one?” He laughed and turned away before Kaijo’s captain could even answer. With a wave, he disappeared around the corner. Kasamatsu felt like punching something. He felt like a liar. Baseless threats meant nothing, and he had proved his words to be nothing but that: _ words _ . He decided to take a walk around the hospital to clear his head, silently vowing to stand up and _ stay standing _when in a situation like that again.

* * *

A loud vibration caused (f/n)’s tired eyes to open. Groaning, she debated rolling over and completely ignoring the awful sound. When another vibration reached her ears, she sighed in exasperation. Everything felt too much. Her head desperately wanted to spin. She only wanted to sleep. Another groan escaped her throat when she finally sat up. Finding her phone on the bedside table, she saw three notifications lighting up the screen. Squinting at the harsh blue light, she unlocked her phone and first found a message from Kise. 

Are you alright?! I can’t believe that happened! I couldn’t find anyone who knew what hospital you went to and Kuroko-cchi and Kasamatsu-senpai aren’t answering my texts!!!  
  
(f/n)-chan, please answer! I need to know you’re alright D:  
  


Smiling at how caring her friend was, she began to type out a response. 

I’m alright, just have a concussion. Have to stay overnight at the hospital, but they’re letting me go home tomorrow. Don’t worry too much! I’ll be back to 100% in no time :)  
  
Okay, that makes me feel a little bit better. Keep me updated and get some rest! Sorry if I woke you up btw, I was just so worried about you I didn't even realize the time! I’ll see you soon :D  
  
Will do. Goodnight :)  
  
Goodnight! :D  
  


The other message, sitting unread and unresponded to, was from Midorima an hour before.

I saw what happened. I hope you are okay and heal quickly.  
  
Thank you. It’s just a concussion, so don’t worry  
  
Remember to rest. Don’t do anything challenging with your brain. Don’t move too quickly. Make sure to stay hydrated.  
  


Smiling at Midorima’s way of showing care and concern, (f/n) thanked the stars she had such caring friends. 

Will do, Shintarou. Have a good night :)  
  
Goodnight.  
  


Suddenly, (f/n) heard a flurry of voices outside her room. To her surprise, her team funnelled into her hospital room. She didn’t know they allowed that many guests, especially so late at night. Smiling, she guessed Riko and Kagami talked them all into a visit. Her smile fell a bit when she noticed their expressions. They looked defeated, their feet almost dragging as they stepped across the white tiled floors. She felt the same, but in a different way. 

“Hey, guys.”

A part of the burden on their shoulders was lifted when they heard her voice. Although it was soft, it was relieving. Kagami was the first to speak to her. 

“Are you alright?”

Concern dragged his features further down his face. She smiled a bit. Her team’s care went straight to her heart. It had been quite a while since she had such a support system around her. “Yeah, I just have a concussion. The doctor said it wasn’t too bad. My CT scan didn’t show anything worrisome. They’re keeping me overnight for observation, though.” Everyone seemed to release a universally held breath. “How did the game finish?”

“We lost.”

She frowned a little, but her positivity pushed it back. She wouldn’t let those two words hold her down, as heavy as they seemed. “Well, there’s still two games.”

Riko shook her head. “Without you and Kagami, I’m not sure how much of a fight we’ll put up.”

(f/n) furrowed her brows, partially due to the situation and partially due to her slowly growing headache. “What happened to Kagami?”

The redhead was clenching his fists at his side. Seeing her in a hospital bed and remembering the game, it all just messed with his emotions. He felt so powerless; all of his pride had been washed away in a flood of navy. Pent up anger flooded his veins, but he held it down. No one needed that. 

“His legs were overworked. We’re benching him until they’re _ fully _healed this time.”

(f/n) nodded. “Yeah, that’s the best thing to do.” She smiled at her team. They already looked defeated. She wanted to lessen that. “Don’t be discouraged! Even without Kagami, you’re all strong! Plus, it’s not like it’s over for us! Kagami and I will both be better by the Winter Cup, and we’ll all have grown stronger by then.”

Everyone nodded. Exhaustion hung in the air, but Hyuga spoke over it. “Are you here alone? Would you like one of us to stay with you?”

She softly shook her head. “No…” Her voice trailed off into a single breath as she surveyed the room. “Where did he go?”

Confusion was returned to her. “Who?”

“Kasamatsu came here with me.” She made sure to call him by his last name, for she didn’t know if they’d recognize his first. That and it still felt a little odd to refer to him as Yukio.

“Why did he come with you?”

“He’s like my best friend.”

At her smile, her team smiled. They were glad that she was happy despite the events of the day. They wished that for themselves. Izuki rested his hand on the girl’s head and carefully ruffled her hair. She grinned up at him. 

“We’ll wait for him to come back so we know you’re in good hands.”

The group spoke about everything and nothing, but they skirted around the subject of the game. No one was ready to delve into that again without some rest. Staying as still as possible, (f/n) laughed along with her team. She still had a bit of vertigo, but it was slowly lessening. 

Soon, a certain man walked through the door and stopped upon seeing the group. (f/n) smiled at him. “Hey, Cap.” Slowly, he approached despite the eyes following him. 

“Hey, how do you feel?”

“My head’s hurting a little, and my eyes are still a little sensitive, but otherwise I’m fine.”

He nodded. “I can go tell the doctor about the pain if you want.” 

“That’d be appreciated.”

The members of Seirin didn’t have to watch long to know that (f/n) was in good hands. Kuroko was especially intrigued by the look in Kasamatsu’s eyes; it reminded him of the way Aomine used to look at the girl. The captain’s eyes were overflowing with care and a hint of adoration. Smiling, Kuroko nodded to himself. She was surely in good hands. 

“Well,” Hyuga began as he walked to the door, “we should get going.” He placed a hand on Kasamatsu’s back, looking at him like he was entrusting his daughter to him. “Take care of her for us.”

Serious as ever, Kasamatsu nodded. “I will.” 

With that, her team filed out the door. Their waves and well wishes caused her to grin. 

“Did you see him?”

Her attention fell on the only one left in the room. His attention was on the floor. 

“Who?”

“Aomine.”

“What do you mean?”

Silently, he approached her bed. That’s when he saw it. Reaching his hand out, he grabbed the notebook beside (f/n)’s bed and read the note. “He was here. Pushed right past me. He apparently wrote you a note.” He handed the book to (f/n). 

‘Sorry, (n/n). Didn’t mean to do that. Hope you feel better. - Daiki’

Underneath the words was his phone number. Her mind felt like it was spinning. What did he mean by all of this? Earlier, he barely spared her his attention, and now he was apologizing and using her nickname like nothing had even happened. Her heart was being hit from all sides; her mind was being barraged with emotions. It hurt. 

Instantly, Kasamatsu noticed her pain, and he ran out the door to consult the doctor. The two returned, the latter prescribing some pain medicine (f/n) didn’t care to remember the name of. All she felt was pain. Her heart was beating, but it felt like it could stop at any moment. As soon as she received her dosage and the doctor left, Kasamatsu was by her side. He grabbed her hand. 

“Yukio…”

“Yeah?”

“What do I do?”

He furrowed his brows at her question. His answer was simple. It always was. “Don’t speak to him.”

At that thought, tears began to escape her eyes. She wished she could escape. “But he didn’t hurt me on purpose! I was the one who hurt him. I left him without even saying goodbye! I’m the reason he hates basketball!”

Her tears grew heavier, her breathing more rapid, and Kasamatsu knew he had to do something. If she kept on, her headache would only get worse, and he didn’t want her to be in any pain. So he reached out with his other hand and began rubbing comforting circles around her back. He whispered to her to calm down. He pushed her still damp hair out of her face. Once she had calmed to soft tears and semi-rhythmic breathing, he responded. 

“One thing can’t make someone hate their passion. It had to have been a number of things that made him see the game in such a dim light, so don’t think you’re the sole reason he’s the way he is now. All you can do now is get to know the new him and decide if you want him in your life.”

(f/n) was silent for a while, only focusing on his words and his hand traveling along her spine. Taking slow breaths, she attempted to calm herself. He was right. There was nothing she could do about it now but see him in the present. She looked up at Kasamatsu with puffy eyes. 

“Thank you, Yukio. I really don’t know what I’d do without you…” After his ‘you’re welcome,’ she realized something. It almost brought tears back to her eyes. “I’ll have to do without you soon, huh?”

“What do you mean?” His hand had retreated from her back. 

“You’re graduating soon.”

His eyes grew wide. He had forgotten about that with everything that was going on. He had his team to focus on, the Inter High, the Winter Cup, and (f/n). He’d been focusing on all of her games too. He shook his head. 

“Don’t worry about that. I’m planning on going to a nearby university to be close to my family.”

“Good, I think I’d miss you too much if you went far away.” She laughed, her tears all but gone. 

Kasamatsu was silent. His thoughts trailed to how beautiful the girl’s smile was and how much he really would have missed her if he did travel for college. Shaking his head, Kasamatsu tried to get those thoughts out of his mind. 

“Well, you really should get some rest. Hopefully you’ll be able to go home tomorrow.” Rising from his seat, he patted her head, just as he had with his younger brothers after they had cried. She smiled up at him. 

“You should too.”

“I will in a little bit.” With that, he walked out the door to go get a water. He really didn’t expect to be thinking like that. He’d just gotten comfortable with the girl, and now his mind had decided he had a crush on her. He sighed as he felt his cheeks heat up. If this ruined their friendship, he didn’t know what he would do, so he decided to ignore it. 

In the back of his mind, he also felt a seed of doubt being planted. How could he even think of being with (f/n) when he couldn’t even protect her?


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I had in mind for Kasamatsu's melody in this chapter is “with you - Instrumental” — The Rose. I just thought it fit him so perfectly. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :) <3

The next morning, (f/n) awoke due to the bright morning sun shining directly through her hospital room’s window. Groaning, she shielded her eyes from the early assault and turned over. Slowly, she opened her eyes and allowed them to adjust to the bright room before her. At least the sensitivity had lessened. Maybe her symptoms wouldn’t last long. 

She almost laughed when her eyes found Kasamatsu. He was asleep in the armchair beside her, his arms crossed and his head back. His lips were parted slightly, soft breathing sounds falling out every so often. He looked peaceful, well, as peaceful as someone could be in a hospital arm chair. 

She sighed. As much as she didn’t want to interrupt his dreaming, she had to wake him up. She wanted to get out of that hospital as soon as possible. He could catch up on lost sleep on her couch if need be. 

“Yukio.” He stirred a bit, but he didn’t open his eyes. She noticed how long his eyelashes were and felt a bit jealous. “Yukio…” His arms tensed; his eyebrows furrowed. It seemed he was against waking up. “Yukio!” She didn’t yell, just whispered his name a bit louder. His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to his whereabouts. Finally, he looked to the girl. “Were you actually comfortable like that?”

The man tried to stretch, but his neck was sore. “Not really.” He yawned, the sound a little gravelly. “How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty good. My headache is gone, and my eyes aren’t as sensitive.”

He nodded. “I’ll go get the doctor so we can get out of here.” Standing up, he adjusted his wrinkled shirt and tightened his tie. Then, he walked out of the room. (f/n) smiled. 

She really was thankful for him. 

Soon, Kasamatsu returned with her doctor. The latter spoke as soon as he stood beside her bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. My headache is gone. Also, my eyes and ears aren’t as sensitive now.” 

He had her go through some of the tests again. Her balance was still a little off, but she could walk on her own if she was careful. All in all, she had improved since yesterday. The doctor kindly smiled at her as she sat back down. 

“Well, you’ll be able to head home as soon as we finish some paperwork.” He reached in his pocket and fished out a card before handing it to her. “Call me and inform me of your condition. As soon as you can walk and focus normally, we can start gradually adjusting you to school and exercise again.”

(f/n) smiled. “Thank you.”

Thirty minutes later, Kasamatsu and (f/n) were heading out the door and down the street to the train station. The former was supporting the latter, but she wasn’t stumbling as much as she would’ve the night before. They were silent the entire way home. Finally, Kasamatsu was helping the girl up her front steps. She was smiling despite the small headache she had gotten after their journey. Once she had unlocked the door, she was relieved to hear the happy meow of Orion. 

“Hey, honey bun. We should get you some food, huh?” She grinned down at the cat as he rubbed her legs. Kasamatsu set down her bag before walking carefully behind the girl. She didn’t have far to go to get the food, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Soon, Orion was munching on a large pile of his kibble, and Kasamatsu was pushing (f/n) toward her couch. 

“I’ll make breakfast.” She only grinned at him. 

“Thanks, mom.” He shook his head in response. “I’m gonna take a shower, if that’s alright.” 

He seemed to think on it for a moment. Sighing, he nodded at her. She retreated to her bedroom after grabbing her sports bag. Kasamatsu surveyed her fridge; it looked like he would be making eggs and toast. Grabbing the egg carton, he shut the refrigerator door. He found a frying pan easily and set to work. 

He had been a bit apprehensive at the thought of leaving her alone in the shower, what with her balance still not at a hundred percent, but she really needed to get clean. He always revelled in the feeling of water on his skin after a game, and he knew she probably felt off without that cleanliness. As he cracked some eggs directly into the frying pan, his face turned red. The only way to keep her from falling in the shower would be to be in there with her, and...

No, don’t think like that. 

He really didn’t want to make their relationship awkward with his feelings. He had been doing so well! He rarely got flustered around her anymore. Why did a crush have to blindside him?

Why did he have to think like this?

The sound of running water came to a halt, and, as he removed the toast from the toaster, he tried to keep his thoughts at bay. His face turned even redder; he could feel it, that all encompassing heat he so desperately wished wouldn’t rush to his cheeks. He was afraid she’d read his mind. What would she think of his newfound feelings?

Were they really newfound?

“Oh, Chef Yukio really put in the work, huh?” She reached for the plate he had fixed for her, perfectly golden toast and picturesque eggs atop the ceramic, and he thanked the stars he didn’t drop it. He barely kept himself from jumping when she appeared. “Thank you!” She trodded to the couch and plopped down with a happy smile. 

“Uh, you want a drink?”

She turned back to look at the cook. “Oh, some milk, please!”

After a moment, he passed a glass off to her and sat beside her with his own breakfast. “You don’t use your table?”

She glanced at the lone piece of furniture. Its center held a vase she had made in middle school filled with multicolored faux flowers. She shrugged. “I guess not. It’s a little lonely, sitting at a table by yourself. At least here I can get cozy with Orion and watch a movie.”

The cat gave an approving meow before snuggling into her side. Kasamatsu stared down at him, a soft look in his eyes. “If it’s alright to ask, why do you live here alone?”

“It’s fine. My family moved to America in the second year of middle school because my grandmother was ill. They knew I hadn’t wanted to go, so we agreed that, if my grandmother wasn’t better by freshmen year, I could move back and live alone.”

“Isn’t that a little unsafe?”

She shook her head. “Well, my family’s friends check in on me, and I have you taking care of me too.” Smiling at him, she continued to eat. Soon, they were both finished, and Kasamatsu received her dishes and made his way to the kitchen. 

As soon as he was out of her sight, she snuggled further into her blankets and pulled Orion close. Deep in her chest, she could still feel that heartbreak in response to Aomine, but another feeling was growing. It was warm and fluttery, and she realized that it was belonging. She felt at home with her team, with Kise, especially with Kasamatsu. 

She hadn’t known what to expect when their friendship began, but she was pleasantly surprised by the personality that was defined as Kasamatsu Yukio. His leadership, wisdom, kindness, care, and protectiveness all molded together to form an amazingly unique person. Now, every time she thought of him, she pictured his dimpled smile, his ocean eyes that crinkled shut in pure joy. His happiness brought her happiness. 

When he returned, he ran a hand through his hair, staring out the window in thought. “I need to head home soon to check on my little brothers. My mom and dad both work today.” Turning to the girl, he adjusted his jacket. “Would you want to come with me?”

Smiling, she nodded and stood. Orion was annoyed by the disturbance, but he quickly settled back into his slumber. (f/n) surveyed her appearance. “I’m gonna change into something more presentable first though.”

A few moments later, she emerged from her bedroom in her new choice of outfit, and the two headed out on their journey. She was still having trouble balancing, so she wrapped her arms around the taller man’s arm. Even with Kasamatsu trying desperately to ignore her, his face was drowned in red. He was glad he lived so close, else he completely lose his mind with embarrassment. 

Soon, Kasamatsu was unlocking the door to his home. It was a large house, painted white and made complete with an emerald green door. (f/n) was impressed by how clean cut everything looked, but she didn’t expect anything less from the family that brought Kasamatsu into the world. She was taking her shoes off at the door when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She looked up to see two boys running to her friend. She smiled when they noticed her. 

“Is that your girlfriend?” Kasamatsu shook his head before turning to her. His cheeks were a bit flushed. 

“(f/n), these are my little brothers.” He pushed them both forward. “Introduce yourselves.”

“I’m Jiro,” said the taller. He looked about 13, his dark hair cut short like his older brother’s. His eyes were a hazel overrun with green. 

“I’m Akito.” He seemed to have inherited his brother’s shyness. He looked about 8, and his eyes were reminiscent of Kasamatsu’s. However, his hair was a deep brunette, cut longer than the older two. 

“I’m (f/n),” she replied, a kind smile directed at the two. Kasamatsu placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders. 

“She got a concussion at her latest game, so I’m taking care of her. Don’t be too loud or rowdy so she can heal.” The two nodded before making their way into what looked like the living room. The man called after them. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, we ate some waffles.”

(f/n) followed behind her friend as he led the way up the stairs and to his room. Shyly, he opened the door and allowed her in. It was very tidy, a blue comforter neatly tucked over the bed. A desk was in the corner, and the shelf next to it housed an array of books and trophies. What really drew the girl’s eyes, though, was the guitar propped against a stand beside the desk. 

“I’m going to take a shower. Are you okay waiting here?” Once he received her nod, he disappeared into the bathroom with a change of clothes. (f/n) decided to survey his room. All of his trophies were for basketball. She wasn’t surprised. Surprising was the fact that all of his books were literary classics and poetry. She ran her hand across the spine of each book before approaching the guitar. 

It was a beautiful pine instrument, and its strings shone in the noon light. Carefully, she grasped its neck and carried it to the man’s bed. She was pleased at how soft it was beneath her, but her entire focus was given to the musical item resting on her lap. She eyed every inch of the instrument, amazed at how well crafted it seemed to be. She gave a few test strums, a smile appearing at the soft sound that met her ears. 

She was surprised to hear the door open and see Kasamatsu suddenly appear in the room. “Nice song.” He was toweling off his hair, a dark blue shirt and black sweatpants replacing his clothes from the previous night. (f/n) grinned at him. 

“Yeah, I guess so. Could you play me something?”

He put away his towel and approached the bed. It sunk under his weight. “What do you want me to play?” His hands felt sweaty. He had never played his guitar for anyone but himself. 

“Anything.”

She handed him his instrument with expectant eyes. Kasamatsu instinctively rested the guitar on his lap. His hands fell into their respective places as if they’d done so thousands of times before. 

Slowly, he began to play a soft melody. He didn’t want to play anything too loud for fear of summoning (f/n)’s headache again. She was smiling. Returning it, he readjusted his hands to play a different note. It was as if his hands were dancing across the frets. 

(f/n) felt at peace. She lay back on the bed, her face still turned to the musician. Her eyes never left him. His eyes were closed, a content smile splayed across his features. All tension had left his body. Yet again, he was in his element. She closed her eyes as well, basking in the elegant sounds her friend was creating. 

When Kasamatsu opened his eyes again, and his hands crept to a halt on the polish of his guitar, he smiled down at the girl. Sleep had taken her. Carefully, he rose from his position and replaced his instrument in its stand. Then, he grabbed the small blanket from the back of his desk chair and covered the girl. 

Silently, he shut the door and headed down the steps, the wood creaking slightly with each of his movements. He could hear his brothers playing outside, and he smiled when he recognized the sound of a basketball on the tiny court in their backyard. He decided to join them. 

When their eyes fell on him, they both ran over. They truly loved their big brother. “Mind if I join you?” Eagerly, they both nodded, and Jiro threw him the ball. “Two on one is a little unfair though.”

Akito shook his head, his brunette hair waving around. “You’re too good! It’s fair!” Kasamatsu laughed at that, his hands subconsciously dribbling the ball. Jiro’s eyes were questioning. 

“Where’s your girlfriend?”

The man could feel all of his blood rushing to his face, and he frowned. “She’s not my girlfriend. And she’s upstairs asleep. She needs rest so she can heal.” 

“If she’s not your girlfriend, why are you blushing?” Jiro’s amused eyes vexed him. The boy had always been able to read him. Akito grinned up at him. 

“Will your girlfriend be able to play with us soon?” His eyes were excited and pleading. Kasamatsu sighed. No matter what, they’d probably always call her his girlfriend. Might as well bear with it. 

“Yeah, and she’ll be on my team.” He ruffled both of his brothers’ hair. Jiro frowned. 

“But you said she plays in games! That’s not fair!”

“Yeah!” agreed Akito. “She’ll be on my team!”

Kasamatsu nodded. “Sure, little guy. But right now, you two are on a team, and I’m gonna beat you.” His grin was wide. His dimples were present. Pure mirth shone in his eyes. His brothers grinned back at him, getting into their defensive stances.


	21. Chapter 21

They played for over an hour. Kasamatsu was winning, but not by much. He was going easy on them, and they were trying their hardest. Their pores exuded sweat, their legs ached in the best way, and their smiles remained despite their loss of energy. The eldest looked up at the sky to see the sun on its descent, and he decided they’d best be done for the day. Then, he heard the front door opening, and he guided his brothers inside. 

His mother’s smile greeted him, just as it always had. She placed her purse on the kitchen table before she was enveloped in a hug by her youngest sons. Before she could say anything, Jiro spoke. 

“Kasamatsu brought his girlfriend!”

Of course he had to open that big grinning mouth of his.

The man almost choked on his brother’s words; they felt heavy in the air. Before he could aim his glare at his brother, his mother’s eyes met his in a questioning gaze. “Girlfriend?” 

“She’s just a friend.” Her eyes narrowed at the quick rebuttal, but they grew amused when she noticed the nervous man’s pink cheeks. She was aware of his issue with talking to girls, so she was glad he had overcome it even a little. 

His middle school years had been bad enough. 

“If you say so. Can I meet her?” 

He shook his head. “She’s asleep right now. She has a concussion.”

His mother was moving into the kitchen, but she stopped at his words. “A concussion? How did the poor girl get hurt?”

Picking up Akito in a piggy back ride, the man followed his mother. Jiro was close behind. “She plays for Seirin, and—”

“Oh, the team you went to watch last night? Now I do remember you saying you were watching after a hurt friend…” She busied herself with washing her hands, the running water filling the air with background noise. 

He nodded. “Another player accidentally hit her, and her head hit the ground. I stayed with her at the hospital last night.” 

The woman nodded. She was proud of how compassionate her son was, but something about the situation bothered her. “Does she not have anyone to watch after her?”

Kasamatsu shook his head. “Her family is in America right now, so she lives alone.”

Eyes widening, his mother turned the faucet off and turned around. “She needs someone to take care of her while she’s healing!”

“I know. That’s why I’ve been—”

“Tell her she can stay in the guest room. All of us can watch over her until she’s better.”

Happy with the idea, he nodded. “Alright, but she has a cat at home.” 

His mother waved him off. “She can bring him. I love cats, you know that.” He smiled. “Okay, now get out of here so I can make her a welcome dinner.” Her shooing hands punctuated her sentence, and she turned to foster her focus on the coming meal. 

With that, her three sons retreated to their rooms. When Kasamatsu opened his door, his chest grew warm at the sight that greeted him. (f/n) was snuggled into his blanket, her face serene. 

One look at that face could kill him instantly.

He knew that he was in deep at this point, and, for once, he was the one that needed advice. He’d never dealt with feelings like those he had for the girl. He felt uncertain. He knew that Kise would know more than him, but he had a feeling that the Miracle wouldn’t be much help with (f/n). She had told him that love would come to her at its own pace and that she would wait for it. He felt that she didn’t want the overdramatic confessions and the over complicated games his peers seemed to thrive off of. She seemed like she desired a pure love that was only for her, something to always fall back on. 

_ He wanted to give her that.  _

But he was afraid that she didn’t want him to be the one. If he acted on his feelings, there was always that chance that it would backfire in his face and he’d lose one of the closest people to him. 

He didn’t want that. 

So, yet again, he decided to wait on his desires. He supposed he could name her as one of his desires, as strong as the word was and as odd as it felt. He’d never desired someone, but the thought of her spending her life by his side left no bitter taste in his mouth, no pit in his stomach. But, as desirable as the idea was, he knew there was a fork in the path he so happened to drift upon. Yes or no, desires affirmed or desires stomped out. If he proceeded, would she reciprocate his feelings?

_ Would she leave him? _

Would she be able to look at him as a friend even after a confession?

If she accepted his feelings, would she stay with him? 

At that thought, his doubt crept forward from the back of his mind. He couldn’t stand his ground before; how could he promise to protect her for life? He knew it was foolish to even think so far ahead, but if he found love, he wanted it for a lifetime. He needed to be sure of it. So, how could he be sure of it if he wasn’t even sure of himself?

Foolish.

He felt foolish. Why shrink in on himself? He needed to be more confident. Looking to the girl, he reasoned that she would tell him to be confident in himself. One failure did not equate to a lifetime of failures, nor did it immediately lead to one. If he didn’t like his own handling of that situation, he needed to change his own reaction to that same situation if it reared its head again. Reassuring himself of his worth, he pulled out his desk chair and sat himself upon it. His favorite saying came to mind.

_ Steady progress; rapid advance. _

If he was patient and worked hard, it would come in time. 

Suddenly, he heard the girl stir. He glanced at his clock, seeing that it was about five in the afternoon. She had been asleep for a few hours. Spinning around in his chair, he watched as she opened her eyes and sat up. She stretched, her eyes finding his. 

“Hey.”

She yawned and fell onto her back again. “Hey.” He laughed at her expression; she looked like she was disappointed to have woken up, as if her dreams were too good to leave. 

What were her dreams?

“Come on, let’s get you downstairs. My mom is making dinner. It should be done soon.” At the promise of food, she sat up yet again. She allowed the man to pull her up and steady her, his hand on her arm. Slowly, the two made their way down the stairs to find the table being set by the younger Kasamatsu brothers. Their mother appeared. 

“Ah, you must be (l/n)-chan. It’s very nice to meet you.” 

The girl bowed. “It’s very nice to meet you, too, ma’am. You can call me (f/n), though.” The woman nodded, a kind smile radiating off of her being. 

“Well, (f/n), did Yukio tell you my proposal?” The girl shook her head. “You may stay here in our guest room until you heal. My family will watch over you like one of our own. And you can bring your cat.”

Looking to Kasamatsu, (f/n) thought over the option; the man only smiled at her and nodded. “Thank you so much. I would love to stay with you if it’s no issue.” With a laugh, she added, “I’m sure Orion would love all the attention, too.”

“It’s no issue at all! Welcome to our family. My husband should be home soon.” With that, the woman floated back into the kitchen. The two decided to join Akito and Jiro on the couch. It was a bit of a squeeze, but everyone fit. (f/n) still felt tired despite her long nap. She decided to rest her head on Kasamatsu’s shoulder, his warmth aiding sleep in pulling her back into its depth. 

The man, unsurprisingly, was tense. He felt her steady breathing on his arm; it was almost as if her entire being was teasing him, as if the world was taunting him. Did she have any idea what effect she had on him? Was she aware of his newfound feelings?

Stop.

Kasamatsu thanked the stars when his father opened the door. He moved to get up, and (f/n) followed, albeit tiredly. She smiled when she saw the man; Kasamatsu was the spitting image of him, but his father’s face was being warmed by a carefully manicured beard. Her friend approached the man. 

“Hey, Dad. This is (f/n). She has a concussion, so Mom said she could stay with us until she heals.”

The man’s kind eyes crinkled when he took her in. He even had the same dimples she’d grown to love. “It’s very nice to meet you. Welcome to our family.”

“Thank you.” At that moment, the woman of the household emerged with the spectacle of the dinner in her hands; it was a pot of spaghetti. What was with (f/n) and Kasamatsu eating spaghetti? The woman noticed the girl’s eyes on the dish. 

“I hope you like spaghetti. It’s my special recipe. My family is actually Italian.”

Grinning, (f/n) took her seat between Kasamatsu and his mother. “I love spaghetti, don’t worry.” The woman smiled back and began plating her specialty dish. Then, everyone dug in. 

“So, (f/n), you play basketball?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’ve played my entire life. I’m on Seirin’s team now.”

“Our son has played since he was very small. We’re very proud of how far he has come.”

The girl looked beside her to see Kasamatsu’s cheeks glowing an embarrassed red. She grinned, her eyes soft. “I’m very proud of him too, even though I haven’t known him long.” She looked to his parents. “You have an amazing son.”

The two nodded, the woman taking up the conversation next. “Yes, we’re very thankful to have him, but we would like to get to know you. It’s rare that Yukio brings friends home.”

As (f/n) answered their questions, the man beside her felt his heart beating faster. She was speaking to his parents like an old friend; she had called him amazing. The way she’d smiled at him… He wanted to scream, to hide… to hug her. 

The dinner went by smoothly, and he was glad she and his family were getting along. Well, as much as he was glad, it also made him feel even more self conscious about his feelings. Her getting on so well with his family just added more reason to like her, and he was actively trying to suppress his feelings. He hadn’t even realized he’d been silent the entire meal until he heard his name. 

“Yukio, I’ll drive you and (f/n) to her place so she can gather her things.” His father was standing by the door with his keys in hand. He hadn’t even realized the table was being cleared. 

“Alright.”

The drive was a blur to him, his eyes examining the view but not fully appreciating it. In the reflection of his window, he could barely see (f/n)’s tired expression, but it was there, and he was in purgatory. One foot was in friendship, and one was in love. How could he choose when both brought him such joy? His chest seemed to constrict as the car creeped to a halt in front of an all too familiar building. 

If only life could slow to a halt so he could just  _ think _ , think about everything and assess the situation from a neutral point of view. Thinking was his strong suit, and yet, even with a mind flooded with thoughts, he felt lost. 

At least he knew where he was at the moment. Her house, to get her things, to bring them to his house. 

_ To bring her to his house.  _

With slowed movements, Kasamatsu stepped out of his dad’s car and opened (f/n)’s door. Her smile almost sent him into cardiac arrest. She really needed to stop that. 

_ No she didn’t. _

It didn’t take long for the girl to collect her belongings into a suitcase. The man stole it away from her as soon as the zipper wrapped around its track. (f/n) gathered Orion’s essentials next, guiding him into his crate. The cat didn’t care for car rides, so she insisted on carrying him herself. Kasamatsu followed close behind with the bag of cat food and litter box. 

When they returned to the white house, Kasamatsu showed (f/n) to the guest room; it was right beside his. After letting Orion out of his carrier and introducing him to his hosts, she decided to get ready for bed. Kasamatsu left her to her business. Then, as soon as her back finally connected with her temporary mattress, she fell into a deep sleep. 


	22. Chapter 22

The days went by quickly. The girl felt right at home with the Kasamatsu family, as if she’d been born into it. The younger members of the family took a quick liking to her as well, but she supposed it was because she wasn’t as strict as their brother. 

A few sweets while she was in charge weren’t that bad right?

Plus, they were great kids. They showed her such kindness, such thoughtfulness. They definitely took after their brother. Akito made her promise she would be on his basketball team when she got better, and she couldn’t wait to beat Jiro and his older brother with the boy. She still needed rest though; she wouldn’t be stepping on the court for a little while. 

Kasamatsu had taken her phone on the first day, citing an article he read on how to quickly overcome a concussion, so she found entertainment elsewhere in the household. Orion had taken to the matriarch of the household more than anyone else, which didn’t surprise his owner; he always was a lady’s man. The boys tried desperately to gain his affection, but he was indifferent. After the first few days, they stopped chasing him around at least. She’d told them they just needed to wait for him to make the first connection, and they finally showed that Kasamatsu-patience. If only she had that patience; she felt restless in her time of rest.

Speaking of rest, she lay in her bed, her mind trailing to the name burning a hole into her contact list.  _ Aomine.  _ He was like a star having already imploded, but she was looking into the sky and seeing the past shine brighter than ever. Her heart burned, and she felt tears well up in her eyes at the thought of the day of her concussion. The look in his eyes was foreign. She wondered if he even cared, despite his appearance at the hospital. 

_ Those eyes… _

She’d never be able to sleep. He was lurking in her mind. 

Why couldn’t she just let it go?

_ It should be obvious.  _

Her first instinct was to text Kasamatsu, but  _ someone  _ was holding her phone hostage. Yes, it was for a good reason, but she felt odd without it nearby. Throwing aside the smidge of annoyance, she realized she could still talk to the man. Only a wall lay between the two. So, with a deep breath, she stepped out of her warm bed and tiptoed to his door. She thanked the stars when she saw a ribbon of light beneath the door. A knock or two later, she heard his voice.

“Come in.” 

The man sat up in his bed, his comforter pooling around his legs. He had been reading in hopes of the pages putting him to sleep, but they hadn’t been helping calm his racing mind. As soon as the door opened, he felt that jackhammer in his chest again, ramping up its speed with anxious velocity.

There she was, the reason for his insomnia, her feet pitter-pattering across his bedroom floor and to his bed, the only other sound the door clicking shut behind her. Slowly, she crawled onto the bed beside him, stealing a bit of his warmth. She truly was a thief in the night. She possessed his heart, no knowledge but full control. As she slid her legs under the covers, she awkwardly looked to the man beside her. 

“Hi.”

He could only echo her in reply. The thought of having a girl in his bed made all of his nerves short circuit. His fingers wrapped around his blanket, pulling it up with strong grip. It was as if he was grounding himself in the moment to keep his thoughts from floating off.

She looked like she could cry at any moment. 

“What’s wrong?” She was silent. “Is it Aomine?” She nodded. The tightness of her jaw and furrow of her brows signaled that the tears wished to be free. 

He couldn’t allow that. 

Despite his anxiety, he scooted a bit closer. The sheets between them mimicked an accordion. Steadying his own breathing, he reached out to rub circles around her back, just as he had at the hospital. She smiled appreciatively at him. 

“I’m just so frustrated with everything. I want to reach out, but I’m also afraid to.”

Kasamatsu shook his head, a tension making its way up his spine. He honestly couldn’t stand the guy. He was disrespectful, lazy, and overall just a bad person in his eyes. And he’d hurt (f/n). The thought of it instantly made his blood pressure rise. 

“You know you don’t have to do anything, right?” She looked at him as if she’d forgotten how to speak. “If he belongs in your life, he’ll be there. If not, you shouldn’t worry. Honestly, you shouldn’t worry either way. It only hurts you. Just try to focus on something else.”

His words struck a chord in her. He was right. If Aomine was meant to be in her life, he’d find his way in without her actively seeking him. She didn’t have to always be the one cultivating a friendship; others had to step in too, and, if they didn’t, they weren’t really worth the time. 

“Thank you, Yukio.” She laid back, her head hitting the pillow with a soft sound. She looked up to see Kasamatsu’s hand still outstretched above her, but he pulled it back. 

“You’re welcome.”

She really did feel welcome in his eyes. She’d never felt as comfortable as she did in that moment, his residual heat circling her, the softness of the sheets encompassing her, his ocean eyes drowning her. She knew that he was meant to be in her life; she may have culminated the friendship, but he was cultivating it with her. 

“Will you play me that song again?”

No words fell from his mouth as he retrieved his guitar and sat beside her again. A smile replaced the girl’s expression. The melody was the same as before, his hands gliding over the strings as if it was meant for her. With a happy heart, she closed her eyes. Even with them closed, she could hear the care he put into every strum of the strings. She felt safe with him.

_ She felt at home with him. _

This time, Kasamatsu kept his eyes on the girl. Her serene expression made his heart swell. Without a doubt, he was in deep. He shook his head. His hands tripped over the frets. He really did love her. 

No matter what. 

When he realized her breathing had steadied, and her eyes were sealed with sleep, he replaced his instrument, grabbed a few pillows and a blanket, and made himself comfortable on the floor. He was too scared to sleep near her; he didn’t know if he would be able to take it. 

Let’s just say he slept okay.

* * *

Two weeks later, (f/n) was cleared to go back to school and slowly ease herself back into practice. It was time to head home, but she felt sad. Leaving the Kasamatsu household was a bit harder than she’d anticipated. As they all said goodbye to her on her doorstep, she wished she could go back with them. Their hugs tugged at her heart strings more than she expected. She missed her own family, but she knew now that she had one here, one to take care of her and to spend time with. 

“You better come visit us!” The woman of the family chided her as she enveloped her in a hug. 

“I will, don’t worry!”

As the family filed back into their car, Kasamatsu decided to stay. He could see an uncertainness in the girl’s eyes. He helped carry her belongings into her home as his family drove away. 

“What’s wrong?” 

(f/n) was opening Orion’s carrier when she heard his question. She hadn’t expected him to notice her change of mood, but she guessed she should’ve. He was very observant. Sighing, she sunk into her couch. 

“Just miss my family a lot. I talk to them as much as I can, but staying with you just made me want that dynamic in my life.”

Seating himself beside her, the man observed her. He had to admit he’d miss having her in his home, but that meant she’d still be recovering, and he was glad that she was better. 

“Well, just know you’re always welcome in my home. You’re basically part of the family in my parents’ eyes now.”

Her smile showed itself to him again, and he let loose his own. His dimples just made hers grow. “Thank you, Yukio.” Looking up at the ceiling, she continued, “I’m also nervous about getting back into basketball. I don’t want my symptoms to flare up again.”

“Just take it slow.”

“I know,” she turned her head to face him, “but it’ll still be hard, especially because we didn’t make it to the Inter High. I have a feeling everyone will be in a funk.”

“That’s to be expected. At least we have summer vacation coming up. Hopefully that’ll bring their spirits up again.”

Her eyes widened. “Woah, you’re right. Your birthday is coming up, too.” She paused. “Do you have any plans for it?”

He shook his head. “No, not really. My parents will probably be making a special dinner, but that’s about it.”

She grinned. “Then spend it with me! I already made plans.”

“Plans?”

“Yeah, I was hoping you’d want to go with me to the Ichinomiya Tanabata Festival. It’s during your birthday, and I haven’t been to one in years.”

Kasamatsu’s face grew hot as he nodded his head. That was all he could do, for he felt too much at that moment. She wanted to spend his birthday with him at one of the most beautiful festivals in all of Japan. He had no idea what to say. 

“Good, if you said no I wouldn’t know what to do.” They sat in a comfortable silence before the man rose. 

“I guess I should get going. We both have school tomorrow.”

Rising from her seat as well, (f/n) groaned. “Very disappointing.” The man laughed. 

“At least it means you’re feeling better.”

She opened the door for him, a ghost of a smile breaking through her frown. “I guess so. Bye, Yukio.”

“Goodbye, (f/n).”

She wanted to reach out as soon as he turned around; she didn’t want him to leave. It felt as if her heart would stop beating if he did, and that surprised her. Shaking her head, she returned to the couch. 

It felt lonely. 

She didn’t want to have another crush on a best friend. That didn’t work out the first time. Her dynamic with Aomine had suffered because of her unrequited feelings, and she still felt the repercussions. Her heart was so confused because of those feelings, still rising up from the depths of her mind. She wished they’d gone away. She didn’t feel that way anymore, not after everything. He wasn’t even the same person. So why did her heart decide to beat faster around Kasamatsu, when it knew what could happen? 

Why couldn’t she control that?

* * *

When she returned to school, Kuroko was the first to find her. She had been walking to class, trying to avoid the stares, when he’d placed his hand on her shoulder. To say she was surprised would be an understatement. 

“I’m glad you’re back, (f/n)-chan.”

She smiled at him as they finally reached the classroom. “I’m glad too. I dread the homework, but I’m just happy to be able to start practicing again.”

He nodded. “I know that everyone missed you.”

They were seating themselves at their respective desks when Kagami walked in. His eyes widened when they fell upon the girl. “You feel better?”

“Yeah.”

He grinned down at her. “Are you gonna practice?”

She grabbed her books from her backpack before turning to him. “Yeah, but I have to start slow. Probably just some shots and stuff. The doctor said I shouldn’t run at full speed for a bit longer.”

“Yeah, I understand that.” 

With that, the day began. Classes went by easily; it seemed (f/n) had not missed too much in her two absent weeks. Hopefully the homework would go by just as swiftly. 

She sighed as she stepped into Seirin’s gym. Unsurprisingly, it was empty; she had always been the first one to practice. Setting down her bag, she began to stretch. Her muscles thanked her as her eyes trailed over the expanse of the gym. Everything was the same, save for the tall man approaching her. 

“Hi, you must be (f/n), right?”

His smile was kind as he sat beside her and mimicked her position. “Yeah, who are you?”

“I’m Kiyoshi Teppei.” He stretched his lanky form as (f/n) eyed him. “I just got out of the hospital. I’m happy to be ready to play again.”

“You’re on the team?” 

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” His smile was bright. “It seems we’re gonna be in the same boat with all this, huh?”

“I guess so. How long has it been since you’ve played?”

“About a year.”

Gasping a bit, (f/n) looked up at the man. “A year?! And I thought two weeks was bad!”

Kiyoshi’s sunshine laughter lit up the room again, and he rose to his feet. “Well, it was pretty bad, but I’m here now, and that’s all that matters. With that, I’ve gotta get going.”

“Huh? You’re not staying for practice?”

“Oh, I am. I’m just gonna get ready to surprise everybody.”

“Okay…”

Soon, everyone started filing in from the locker rooms. Their eyes lit up when they saw the girl, her same smile on her face. Each member ran up to hug her and tell her how happy they were that she was back. Riko approached her last.

“You’re sure you’re ready?”

“Of course, but not for everything. The doctor said I need to ease myself back into it.”

Nodding, Riko put her hand to her chin. “We’ll see how you do with warmups and go from there.”

Suddenly, the door opened, and out walked Kagami. His countenance was as serious as ever, his eyebrows furrowed and his fists clenched. “Heya.”

“Oh, it’s Kagami. Your legs better?”

“Yup.”

“The legs are one thing, but why’d you skip practice?” asked Hyuga with a bit of a scowl on his face. “Something happen?”

“Sorry.”

At his one word response, the captain’s scowl grew. “If you’re sorry enough to apologize, then just show up!” Before he could get another anger laced word out, the gym door opened once again. 

“Hi there.” In stepped Kiyoshi Teppei, clad in full uniform and an air of determination. “Now then, let’s practice.”

“Why’re you in uniform?! Do you think you’re playing?! Do you?!” Hyuga shouted in accusation, a finger pointed at the tower of a man. 

Kiyoshi only grinned. “It’s my first practice in a long time. I’m just excited.”

(f/n) laughed in response. So that was where he went, to put on his old uniform. Kagami approached her at the sound of her laugh, his serious expression a tad less impactful. 

“You sure you’re ready?”

“Yeah, are you?”

“Of course.”

(f/n) slapped a hand on the ace’s back. “Don’t be so serious, Kagami. We’re finally a team again. Let’s have fun.”

He nodded in return, but she couldn’t help but notice the slight roll of his eyes at her words. It seemed as if he was getting into that bad mindset again, the same one that reared its head against Shutoku. She hoped he’d pull through it. Kiyoshi approached the group of players, that same determination swirling in his eyes. 

“I’ve been in the hospital since last summer. Between the surgery and the rehab, I haven’t played since then. I’m Kiyoshi Teppei. I’m 6’4” and weigh 179 lbs. I play center. Nice to meet you.”

Riko approached the giant. “Teppei! You really good to go?”

“Yeah! They say I’m all healed up!” Scratching the back of his neck, he continued, “I may be a little rusty, but it’s not like I was doing nothing in the hospital.”

In response to that, Izuki spoke up. “Learn a new skill?”

“Yep.” Everyone waited in anticipation of his newly acquired skill. “Card games, from an elderly roommate.”

Hyuga looked like he was going to blow his lid, if he hadn’t already. “But that’s…!”

“It’s really interesting!”

“It has nothing to do with basketball!”

(f/n) couldn’t help but laugh. He was so out there, but in a good way. She was excited for the addition of a “new” member despite the ironic timing. Three members returning on the same day? 

“Oh! Let me just say this,” started Kiyoshi. His voice just commanded attention. “It’s like I’ve been saying since I started this club. You’re staking these three precious years on this, so, if you’re gonna do it, do it right. And we’re gonna go for the gold… somewhere!” Everyone gave him a questioning look. “Where’s the Inter High being held again?”

The question was like a knife to a freshly closed wound. Too soon. “It changes every year, and we’ve already lost!”

“I see… Where’s the Winter Cup this year?”

“The same place it is every year! Tokyo!”

“Oh… well, anyway… If you’re climbing a mountain, then of course your goal’s the summit, but don’t forget to enjoy the journey.”

Honestly, (f/n) loved that philosophy. It went against everything the Generation of Miracles stood for, but that’s exactly what she and the rest of her team were trying to do. The Miracles were all about getting to that precipice and beyond; she planned to savor every practice and game. 

Speaking of practice, everyone got ready for some drills and small scrimmages. (f/n) just started out with jogging some laps and some ball handling exercises to see where she was. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel the least bit dizzy, but she could definitely tell she wasn’t at one hundred percent. As she pulled the collar of her shirt up to wipe her brow, she looked over to see how the scrimmage was going. What she saw made her breath hitch. 

Kagami was dunking the ball, his immense power on full display, but it wasn’t the display of prowess that stopped her in her tracks. It was his aura; he radiated the same energy he had back at the beginning, the same singular attack plan he exhibited against Shutoku. As he came down from his jump, he looked down at Mitobe, who he’d forced to the floor with his dunk. Riko didn’t look happy about the situation. 

“Foul! Kagami, where’s your head at?! You’re too aggressive! Pay attention!”

He didn’t even apologize. 

Solo. 

Selfish. 

Aomine. 

That’s all (f/n) could think as she watched the red head retreat. Before she could think anymore, Kiyoshi interrupted the tense atmosphere.

“Hey, Kagami-kun, got a second?” When the addressed man turned, he continued. “I’m hoping to get some play time in soon, but demanding a spot on the roster just because I’m older seems a little high-handed. So how about a one-on-one? Put your starting spot on the line.”

Hyuga shook his head at the exchange. “This is why I don’t like him. He’s always going overboard; he’s super fanatical about basketball; and he’s always playing the fool. Plus, he’s always scheming.”

(f/n) felt everything coming back to her. It felt like that one on one with Kise all over again: same Kagami mindset, same court, same introduction to a newcomer’s strength. The only difference was what was at stake: a starting position for the next game. 

“Sure, but aren’t you out of practice? I won’t hold back, y’know?”

Kiyoshi only lifted the corner his lips at Kagami’s words. “Of course. I want you to play seriously.”

Kagami was fast, but so was Kiyoshi, even though he was bigger. They felt each other out for a bit before Kiyoshi went in for a layup, but Kagami used one of his high jumps and slapped the ball out of the brunette’s hands. It was honestly amazing that, after so long without playing, the former Seirin ace was keeping up with Kagami and even challenging him. Kagami had the ball, and he suddenly switched directions and got away from his defender. He went up for a dunk. Kiyoshi jumped to block. In the final second, Kagami twisted around him in the air and dunked from behind. 

“Woah! Kagami won!”

“Pulling off a reverse dunk like that?! Amazing!”

Kiyoshi took some heavy breaths before turning to the winner. “You got me!” He grinned. “It’s my loss. As promised, you’re still the starter.”

“Right,” Kagami trailed off as he headed for the door. “See ya, I’m heading out.” As the door shut behind the ace, Hyuga blew up on his friend. 

“What’s the big idea, Kiyoshi?!”

“What? He’s really strong!”

“That’s not it! We need you as a starter!”

“There’s no helping it.” He gazed again the ground. Sweat poured from his hairline and down his neck. He wasn’t in the shape he used to be in. “I’m not gonna use my time away as an excuse. This is my true strength.”

“True strength, my butt! You doofus, look at your feet! You’re wearing your inside shoes, you moron!” Everyone’s jaws went slack at the revelation. It was almost impossible to move around quickly in those shoes. “Man, so you basically threw the game.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t you care?!”

Riko only shook her head as she made to gather the materials. With that, everyone got ready to leave the gym for the day. When (f/n) changed and retrieved her bag, she realized her phone was ringing. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, I just wanted to see how practice went,” Kasamatsu’s voice echoed through the speaker. (f/n) smiled. 

“It actually went pretty good. I didn’t get dizzy at all, and my ball handling is still better than yours.”

* * *

Kasamatsu was spinning in his desk chair when she threatened his honor like that. He came to a stop and rolled his eyes, a grin upon his lips. Before he could respond to her challenge, her voice broke through his phone again. 

“I’m just kidding. I’ve still gotta practice more before I can get on your level.”

Well, now Kasamatsu was at a loss for words. It would’ve been so much easier to argue his skills, but she had to go and do it for him. 

“I think you’re on my level.” He stuttered a bit, but at least he got it out there. Why did he think it was a good idea to call her again?

“I disagree, but, anyways, Kagami was able to start practicing again. Oh, and a former member is back. His name is Kiyoshi Teppei.”

Kasamatsu’s eyes widened. “I remember him. He played center, right?”

“Yeah. He was the one who started the Seirin basketball club. He was in the hospital for a year, but I haven’t found out why yet.” She paused, presumably to open a door. “He actually challenged Kagami to a one-on-one to see who would be starter.”

“Who won?”

“Kagami, but Kiyoshi was wearing his indoor shoes, so we all kinda think he was just testing Kagami. I mean, who practices in their indoor shoes? And he was evenly matched even with that disadvantage. It was kinda crazy.”

“He was seriously wearing indoor shoes?”

“Yep.”

“For his sake, I hope he  _ was  _ just testing Kagami. Otherwise, he might not be right in the head.”

(f/n) laughed. “He  _ is  _ a little weird, but I like him. I think he adds something to the team, though I haven’t gotten to play with him yet. Hopefully we play well off each other.” She paused to shift her phone. Kasamatsu couldn’t help but feel a bout of jealousy when the words ‘I like him’ left her mouth. “How was your day, by the way?”

“It was pretty uneventful. Kise wouldn’t stop asking me about how you were. He’s really worried about you.” Kasamatsu shook his head at the memory. He didn’t relay the fact that the blonde also pestered him about her staying at his house for the two weeks she was recovering. 

“Aw, I really need to see him. I feel bad for worrying him.”

“He’ll be okay. You should worry more about yourself.”

“I’m better though!”

Kasamatsu shook his head, a smile on his face. She always thought of others before herself. He loved that about her, but, if only for now, she needed to care about her own health. 

“I know, I know, but let’s get you to one hundred percent, not just ‘better,’ alright?”

“Fine. But you still didn’t tell me about the rest of your day.”

“Like I said, it was pretty uneventful.” What he really meant was that he couldn’t focus on anything fully. He kept worrying about (f/n)’s first day back; he wished he could’ve been there for her. “I don’t have any homework, so I’ve just been chilling since practice finished.”

(f/n) was silent on the other side of the phone for a few seconds. “Are you ready?”

Even without context, Kasamatsu knew what she meant. They were up against Touou next. “I believe so.”

He could hear her smile through the phone. “Then I do too.”

* * *

Soon, it was time for some practice matches. Kiyoshi requested that, at least for the first one, only the first years play. Of course, Tokushin wasn’t too pleased with the idea. It seemed as if Seirin was looking down on them, but there was no ulterior motive behind the roster. Disappointed, (f/n) was seated on the bench beside Riko. She didn’t even bother removing her sweats; she knew she wouldn’t be going in. She didn’t know how she’d make it through three games if she was always benched. It was like torture. 

“Teppei, what’s the big idea? Why only play the first years?” 

Kiyoshi looked to his captain, a quizzical look on his face. Before he could respond, Koganei exclaimed, “I got it! They’re probably gonna lose this one, right? Lately, Kagami’s head has gotten a little too big, right? He can’t win that way. You’re making them lose!” He pointed at Kiyoshi, “That’ll teach them how having just one strong player isn’t always enough, right?”

“That’s genius!” Kiyoshi’s eyes were wide. “Good thinking, Koga!”

“Wait, what?! But, didn’t you…?!”

Kiyoshi scratched the back of his neck. “I mean, I’m brilliant, okay, maybe, but… That Kagami, he’s not so dumb that he can’t realize it without being shown. I don’t think he seemed that lost or troubled, personally. The one I think needs to open his eyes is Kuroko-kun.”

(f/n) nodded from between Kiyoshi and Riko. She could kind of see what he was saying. Kagami wasn’t really the one proven wrong in the Touou match. Kagami had always doubted winning with teamwork, and losing that way validated him. Kuroko was proven wrong, in a sense. He just needed to figure out a different way to win with complete teamwork. 

On the court, Kagami was making his argument. He wasn’t passing the ball, only making his own plays. The others were helping, of course, but Kagami was the main point of offense, and he wasn’t coordinating with the team. Kuroko didn’t even pass to the ace. Something just seemed off. 

In the end, Seirin won 43-41. 

After the game, (f/n) decided to stay and get herself back into the headspace she’d had not even two weeks before. Hyuga was on the other side of the court, balls littering the floor around him as he practiced his reliable threes. They both felt full of energy since their feet never hit the court in the game. However, they didn’t speak as they practiced. (f/n) decided to start with jump shots close to the goal and work her way out, and she was surprised that she got into the groove rather quickly. Her muscles remembered every position for a perfect shot. She didn’t even feel bothered by her concussion anymore, so she hoped she’d get to play in the next scrimmage. She needed a real game to truly test herself. In her eyes, it seemed the only thing she was still lacking in was stamina.

Looking down the floor at Hyuga, she noticed Kuroko approaching him in his regular clothes. Deciding she had practiced enough at the moment, the girl made her way over to the two, laughing when Hyuga got surprised by Kuroko’s presence and haphazardly threw the ball. 

Not missing a beat, Kuroko addressed his senior, a serious expression pulling his eyebrows down. “My current style is limited.”

“Limited? What do you mean?” 

(f/n) completed the circle, and Kuroko looked to her before continuing. “I feel as if I’m only holding Seirin back right now. I want you to replace me with Kiyoshi-senpai.”

“You never come to talk to me, and, now, when you do,” the captain slapped the back of Kuroko’s head, “you get all carried away! You want off the starting lineup? Think of those poor guys already on the sidelines! I don’t wanna hear that from you.  _ I’ll  _ be the one to tell you to hit the bench!”

“But…”

“No means no!” Hyuga looked around exasperatedly. Then he took a breath and adjusted his glasses. “Back when Kiyoshi started this thing, he was the prototype for a center, partly because he was the tallest, but also because we were all beginners. He was the only one who could do it. Yet Kiyoshi was actually great at playmaking and bringing out the best in everyone. He was a true point guard. He played center, though, because that was what was needed for the team, but he knew it wasn’t the position he was meant to play, and he felt limited. Then, one day, Koga questioned why he couldn’t do both. From that day on, he fused the positions to create a unique style for himself. That was what got us as far as the Finals League last year.” Hyuga finally looked back to the bluenette that’d approached him. “You and Kiyoshi are nothing alike, but are you sure that’s really  _ all  _ you can do?”

A reflective look glazed over Kuroko’s face at the question. (f/n) was in deep thought as well. She wondered if she should change up her play-style as well, considering she was the third point guard now that Kiyoshi had returned. 

Hyuga turned away from his juniors. “I’m not gonna force you or anything… You get the point. But, if you’re gonna give up, at least go tell Kagami. He’s probably at the park. I saw him leave with a ball,” he sighed. “He came to me after the game today. Seems like he’s put some real thought into everything. He really believes in you.” Hyuga looked to Kuroko before grabbing another ball. “Dude doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘tact,’ though.” 

Suddenly, Kuroko turned to the door, a look of determination replacing his indecipherable expression from before. “I have to go. Thank you.” Then, he left without a second look to the girl beside him. She didn’t feel insulted at his indifference toward her. Honestly, she wondered if he’d even noticed her; he had been pretty troubled. Then, a new thought bubbled up in her mind, and she laughed. The sudden sound caused her captain to look at her in question. 

“I feel like I finally know what Kuroko usually feels like. He barely even acknowledged me.” 

Hyuga laughed. “I don’t think anyone will ever know what goes on in his mind.” 

Grinning, (f/n) made her way to the locker room to change and grab her things. “See ya later, Hyuga.”

“See ya.”

Stepping out into the fresh air, (f/n) took out her phone and called Kasamatsu. She listened to it ring as she began her trek back to her apartment. The street lamps caused her shadow to split around her, and she thought more about Kuroko’s shadow basketball. 

“Hello?”

“Hey. I just wanted to talk to you while I’m walking back from practice.”

“Okay. How was it? Feeling any better?”

“Well, we had a scrimmage against Tokushin, and I wasn’t allowed to play. Actually, only the other first years played. We won 43 to 41.”

“Why’d only the first years play?”

Turning down another street, (f/n) looked around. For some reason, she felt a little nervous to be out alone at night. She sort of wished Kasamatsu was with her, but at least she could talk to him. “Kiyoshi wanted to see what they could do. Plus, I think he wanted Kagami and Tetsuya to realize the faults in the way they’re playing right now. Actually, after the scrimmage, Hyuga and I stayed to practice since we didn’t play, and Tetsuya came to tell Hyuga that he felt limited in his basketball. It really got me thinking…” 

* * *

She trailed off. Kasamatsu had been doing some reading, but he placed the bookmark his brothers made him between the pages and leaned back in his chair to talk to the girl. Looking outside, he noticed how dark it was. He wished he was with her so he could walk her home. She seemed to get back on her train of thought when she started speaking again. “I mean, do you think I need to change the way I play basketball? If Tetsuya needs to reform his style, does that mean I should too?” 

Kasamatsu was quick to answer. “No, I don’t think so.” 

“Why?”

He wiped his hand down his face, trying to string together the words he wanted to say. “Well, your basketball is kinda universal. You can meld with basically any team, it seems like. You watch others and figure out which of your strengths will go best with them. So, in a way, you’re always changing your type of basketball,” he huffed. “I don’t even know if that made sense.”

“It made sense to me. Thank you, Yukio.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So, how was your day?”

He had to think for a second. “Well, I got a 98 on an important chemistry exam. We had practice, and I had to kick all of Kise’s fan girls out again. I swear, they just don’t understand that no means no.”

“Congrats on the test! And yeah, Ryouta’s fan girls don’t know how to take the hint. I honestly don’t get why they’re so obsessed with him. I mean, you can have a crush on a guy without completely fawning over him and making it obvious that you’re crazy about him. I feel like that’s not attractive at all.”

“Yeah,” Kasamatsu blushed a bit at the thought of his next words, “I wouldn’t like a girl that was like that with me. I’d be scared of her.”

“So I guess you’re glad you don’t have fan girls then?” (f/n) laughed. 

“Definitely.”

(f/n)’s voice got a little quiet. “I’m sure there are a ton of girls who secretly like you though.” The ravenette’s blush increased, and he could feel his cheeks and ears burning up. “But, yeah, I’m glad I’ve never experienced fan boys. I honestly don’t think anyone’s ever liked me like that,” she laughed again. 

If he was brave, Kasamatsu would tell her it was impossible for her to not have guys crushing on her, but he just wasn’t in that moment. “You never know.”

“You’re right. Well, I’m back at my apartment now, so I’m gonna take a nice shower. Have a good night, Yukio.”

“Goodnight.”

When she hung up, the man got up and flung himself onto his bed. That would’ve been the perfect moment to tell her she was beautiful and a ton of guys probably liked her, even him, but he chickened out. Why was he so confident on the court, but such a wimp with her? It frustrated him to no end. 


	23. Chapter 23

Final exams came and went like a breeze, and everyone passed. (f/n) was glad to have a break after that flurry of catching up right at the end, even if it was only mentally. Physically, she wouldn’t have a break for a while. 

“We’ll be taking trips at the beginning and end of summer vacation, first to the seashore and then to the mountains!” Riko surveyed her team, the air of a coach about her. “Think of any weaknesses you’ve noticed, from back during the qualifiers up until the recent scrimmage. Those are the goals of these training camps. Also, because we’re low on team members, we’ve gotta work on your stamina, so our ordinary practices are gonna be all about running.”

Hyuga fell in behind her, “Qualifiers for the Winter Cup start as soon as vacation ends! It’s crucial that we make the most out of this summer! Let’s give it all we’ve got!”

“Yeah!”

“That’s all! Dismissed! Good work everyone!”

Kuroko began to roll the scorecard to the back room when he accidentally ran over Kagami’s heal. “Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

“I’m sorry.”

As the two began bickering, Koganei commented, “At least they’re talking again. Bickering more than ever, though.”

“Wonder if they’re really okay…”

(f/n) only shook her head at exchange, a smile on her face. “Of course they are. It’s just growing pains.”

Kiyoshi nodded. “Yeah, they’ll come around by winter.”

Suddenly, Hyuga yelled for everyone to huddle up again. “Listen… About the whole training camp thing we talked about earlier… Right now, we’re looking at a crisis.” Everyone looked at each other in confusion. “With two trips this year, we had to go for cheap boarding houses. And, since money’s an issue, meals won’t be provided. Coach is gonna do the cooking!”

“Is that… a bad thing?”

“Remember those honey lemons! Based on that, you can imagine!”

“So… so why don’t we just cook for ourselves?”

Izuki shook his head, a look of slight fear in his eyes. “We’d love to, but… the training regimen’s gonna be murder. No one’ll be able to move by evening!”

“So what you’re saying is… we’re gonna die?”

* * *

The next day, everyone decided to have a menu taste test to see how bad it was really going to be. Riko stood before the judges, her hair neatly kept under a bandana and a resolved expression dancing across her face. She tied her apron and nodded to everyone before getting to work. She started a boiling pot of water and began cutting some vegetables. 

“A taste testing meeting? Really?”

Hyuga looked to Furihata, a bit of sweat on his brow. “That’s just the code name. We can’t call it ‘The Practice Eating Gross Crap Conference.’ We’ll give her advice after we eat it, so hopefully it’ll get better!”

Fukuda looked to his seniors. “By the way, can you guys cook?”

Izuki shrugged his shoulders. “I’m okay.”

“I can manage.” Koganei. 

“Not at all!” Hyuga. 

“The best here is probably Mitobe. How about you guys? Kuroko, (f/n)?”

“My hard boiled eggs can’t be beat.”

(f/n) laughed at her friend’s answer. “I’m pretty good, if I say so myself.”

“Whatcha whispering about over here? It’s ready! The first course is curry!” Riko smiled as she plated her creation. 

And a creation it was. All of the vegetables seemed to be whole despite the time she took at the cutting board. It looked more like a pile of produce with sauce than curry. 

“Forget how it looks! Focus on the taste! It’s just your average curry!”

Everyone took a simultaneous bite into the enigma. (f/n) tapped out instantly; she just couldn’t stand weird tasting food. Beside her, she noticed Izuki’s death grip on his spoon. It mirrored everyone’s white knuckle reaction to the flavor genocide that was Riko’s curry. 

“If you want seconds, speak up!”

(f/n) felt so bad. Riko tried so hard; she didn’t want to make her feel bad about herself when she’d put so much love and effort into a dish for them. So, even though her brain was against it, she at least took a second bite. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad the second time? 

It was. 

“Right… It’s not very good, is it?” The dejected look on the coach’s face matched with the bandages on her fingers made (f/n) want to keel over dead. She hated that she hated it! 

Suddenly, Hyuga took another heaping bite, and another, and another. With the resolve of a captain, he cleaned his plate. “It was good but,” he got up to approach the door, “a little spicy. I’m gonna go get a drink.” Everyone stared after him in awe. Even Riko was slack jawed at the display (of affection). 

Swirling the ladle around the pot, Kiyoshi nodded. “The taste _ is _quirky, but it works. And it’s got what food needs most of all: love. Still, maybe you went wrong somewhere while making it? Why not give it a second try?”

“Okay.”

Meanwhile, Hyuga was passed out in the hallway, his only witness Izuki. 

Kiyoshi approached his teammates with sweat pouring off his face. “Can someone _ please _teach Riko how to cook this?”

“Kiyoshi, you have some weird sweat coming off of you!”

“Shouldn’t have had thirds.”

“Mitobe can…” Everyone looked to the silent man, but his eyes were glazed over. “He’s gone!”

At another station, Kagami was tossing a pan like a real chef. (f/n) was a little jealous as she approached him; she could cook, but she could never make it look that cool. “Whatcha up to, Kagami?”

Looking to the girl, he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m really hungry since we can’t really eat that stuff,” he jerked his thumb toward Riko’s concoction. “I thought I’d make something with the leftovers.” 

The smell wafting off of his creation almost made (f/n)’s mouth water… or was it the bile threatening to come up her throat at the memory of Riko’s curry? She really didn’t want to think about it ever again. 

“Kagami, you can cook?!”

Everyone crowded around the ace after noticing his place at the stove. “Yeah, I live alone, so I picked up some things.”

“That looks delicious!”

Kagami shrugged his shoulders again. “It’s just a simple stir fry.”

“Can we try some?”

Everyone got a sample of Kagami’s dish, and it was splendid. Everyone sighed upon taking their first bite, and they downed their entire plates. “Wow!”

“Kagami-kun!” The addressed man looked to his coach. “Teach me how to make curry! Never thought I’d be asking you of all people,” she trailed off. 

“Sure, but I won’t go easy on ya.”

With that, they began cooking together. Everyone watched in anticipation. Kagami taught Riko how to chop vegetables without risking fingers, cook rice to perfect consistency, and make a roux for the sauce. By the end of it, the curry looked completely normal, and everyone took a sigh of relief. Less apprehensive, they took their first bites. 

It was really bad. 

(f/n) looked to her teammates, her eyes watering up. Their jaws were clenched as they set down their spoons. 

“No way! What’s wrong with it?! I messed up again?!”

“Didn’t you make it with her, Kagami?!”

“Yeah, I even sampled some!”

“What’s wrong with it?” interjected Kuroko. He was taking another bite as he eyed his friends. “It tastes good to me.”

“Drop the act, Kuroko! It’s not worth your life!”

“I mean it…”

Kiyoshi stared at Kuroko’s plate. “Did you serve yourself?”

“Yes, they forgot about me.”

Kiyoshi’s eyes widened as he turned his gaze to his coach. “Riko, gimme another plate of that, and show us what you’re doing.”

“Sure.” She took a spoonful of rice, “First comes the rice, and, before I add the sauce,” she paused to sprinkle some mystery substance on the rice. 

“What is that?!”

It looked like a bunch of pills. “Oh, it’s vitamin C and protein supplements, of course.”

“‘Of course’?!”

“That explains it!”

“Curry alone isn’t nutritionally balanced though, right?”

“That’s why you add a side salad! Just stop with the supplements!”

With that in mind, she plated another serving for everyone. Taking a deep breath, they took that scary first bite. 

“It’s totally normal!”

Riko’s brows furrowed. “Hey, can’t you just say it tastes good? We know the problem, so everything’s gonna be fine!” She reached for a pot and raised the lid, “Besides, the second course is ready! Seafood stew!”

“Why’s everything whole again?!”

(f/n) got up and turned away at the sight of a completely whole fish sticking out of a forest of vegetables. There was no way she was eating that. 

It turned out to be a long day.


	24. Chapter 24

The next day, everyone loaded up to head to their first destination. (f/n) sat next to Kuroko on the train, still a little tired from waking up so early. It hadn’t helped that she’d gone to bed late out of excitement. As the scenery blurred into different hues of green and blue, she wondered what the camp would entail. Riko had kept her secrets close to her; not even Hyuga knew the schedule. Despite the unknown, everyone’s moods skyrocketed when they set foot in the ocean air. The boarding houses were nice and homely, and the signs of the sea surrounded them. 

“Oh, the smell of the beach! Let’s  _ seas _ the opportunity!” Izuki’s joke caused (f/n) to laugh, a huge grin on her face. Everyone else ignored it. 

“Where’s coach?”

“She’s bringing a bunch of stuff, so she came by car.”

Fukuda looked around, “It’s a nice place, isn’t it?”

Koganei shook his head. “It’ll turn into hell soon enough.”

Suddenly, Riko appeared before the walking group. “Great timing! Everyone here?” 

Behind her, her dad sat in his car, a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose. “I’ll just put all this junk over here, okay?”

“Yeah, thanks, dad.”

“Do your best now, kids!” He waved from the car window before pulling down his glasses. “Oh, and one more thing. Lay a hand on my girl, and you’re dead.” The face he made even scared (f/n) a bit, and she wasn’t even the one it was aimed at. 

“Right!”

Hyuga seemed a little too frozen. Riko didn’t seem to notice though. She was elated as ever, “Hey, no time to waste! Let’s get going.”

“Where to?”

“We’re only renting the gym in the evenings, so, during the day, we’re heading to the beach!”

When they got there, they realized there was a makeshift basketball court on the sand, complete with two goals and white chalk lines. It would be a dream basketball court if it wasn’t for the unsteady sand; the view was incredible. 

“Coach, don’t tell me…”

“Yep! We’re playing here!” She turned to the team, a grin on her face and her hands on her hips. “Like I said, this trip is meant to help you overcome your weaknesses. Right now what Seirin needs is for each of you to improve your individual abilities. But don’t get the wrong idea. Even if teamwork gives us an overall boost, you still won’t end up going far if your skill levels are low to start with. I’m not saying we’re gonna make this team all about individuals. Each player on the team should be strong in his or her right. This’ll let us come together and win as a team. Shooting. Dribbling. Passing. To improve each of those basic actions, the key is your foundation: legs and hips.” Everyone started stomping the ground in response to her words to see how the sand felt between their toes. “You’ll be practicing in the sand here. Start out with your regular training…,” she trailed off to remove her overshirt and reveal her tank top and whistle, “Times three.”

With that, everyone took off running. The sand really tested their balance and leg strength. They couldn’t dribble the ball, so the drills were all about running and passing. Kuroko tried to bounce pass the ball, but it only drilled itself in the sand. (f/n) could really feel her muscles screaming, but she ran as hard as she could and intercepted a pass. All it really came down to was anticipation since no one could dribble. She passed the ball to Kagami who went up for a dunk, but the soft foundation of the sand didn’t allow him to go far, and he fell flat on his face. 

“Is ‘dunk’ seriously the only word in your vocabulary?!”

The sand training lasted for what felt like ages. The sun moved slowly across the sky, finally getting to evening position, and everyone took a long awaited break. Riko was still as peppy as ever. 

“Good work! Now that it’s evening, we’ll move over to the gym!”

Even though the team dreaded more work, they packed up and made their way to the gymnasium up the road. When their feet hit the smooth floor of the court, they were all amazed at how easy it was to move. 

“Sneakers are wonderful things!”

“Feels like I’m moving twice as fast as usual!”

Hyuga shook his head. “It’s really just a mental illusion, though.”

“Well sure,” replied Kiyoshi. “It’s not like half a day of muscle training transformed us.”

(f/n) begged to differ. As she ran down the floor, she noticed just how easy it was to move, and her balance seemed infinitely better. It was as if her body was more aware of itself and was making corrections subconsciously. When she went up for a shot, it was like muscle memory with a bit of magic; it felt perfect. Going from sand training to the gym was making everyone’s moves crisper. Riko really thought everything through. 

Kagami went up for a layup. It wasn’t flashy, but it did the job. “Kagami, just go for your usual dunk!” It seemed like he couldn’t get the timing right, but (f/n) noticed the look in his eyes. He was holding back. 

When they got back to the boarding house, everyone went straight to the showers. (f/n) was honestly glad to be alone with Riko for once. It was kind of tiring to be surrounded by guys all the time.

“Hey, Riko?”

The coach turned and smiled as she dried off. “Yeah?”

“How high do you think Kagami can jump? It seemed like he was holding back.” She pulled on a large t-shirt and some sweatpants. Riko opted for shorts. 

“Well, if I had to guess, I think he could reach the top of the goal.”

“But not on a regular basis.”

Riko shook her head, watching as the other girl wrapped her hair in a towel and gathered her things. “No, not unless we strengthen his legs enough. I’m thinking of making him run on the sand more than everyone else.”

(f/n)’s eyes widened in realization. “Do you think I need that too?” She looked down at her legs. Even after just one day on the sand, they felt stronger. 

“I think it’d help you a lot, especially because you have some jumps you like to take too. I guess I’ll let you run with Kagami, if that’s really what you want.”

“I do.” She laughed. “But you saying you’ll ‘let’ me run sounds like it’s a privilege.”

Riko laughed as well, and the two walked into the main room of the house. The rest of Seirin were strewn throughout the room stretching. (f/n) removed the towel from her hair and sat down beside Izuki. He nodded to her, a towel resting around his shoulders. 

“You need a stretching partner?”

“Yes please.”

(f/n) got into position, reaching toward her toes before feeling Izuki’s soft touch on her back. Then, he pushed her forward, and she felt her muscles stretch. After they stayed like that for a bit, she sighed and moved to get behind Izuki. It felt so good to stretch out after a long day. 

“How are you feeling after the sand?” he asked. “Your legs feeling strong?”

“Yeah, I think it’ll be good for them. I’m honestly kind of surprised they didn’t give out after all of that,” she laughed. Izuki’s brown eyes gazed across his shoulder at her, and he smiled. 

“You remember how you said you didn’t think you were on the Miracle level?” 

The (h/c) removed her hands from the ravenette’s back, and he turned to her. “Yeah.”

“Well, I think that you’ll definitely be there after this training. You and Kagami both.”

She felt her face grow a little hot at the compliment. “I hope so. Thank you, Izuki.” Nodding, he stood in one fluid motion before reaching out and helping her to her feet. 

“You’re welcome. Let’s get something to drink.”

They walked by the other first years’ room and peeked inside to see them stretching as well. Kuroko was helping Kagami stretch, and (f/n) couldn’t help but feel a little sentimental at the sight. It reminded her of old times. But, as she walked beside Izuki, she realized she might like the new times a bit better. 

Teikou felt like an army. 

Seirin felt like a home. 


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning, (f/n) rose a little before everyone else. She hadn’t been near the ocean in so long, so she wanted to watch the sunrise above the waves. With that in mind, she sneaked out of her and Riko’s shared room and down the hallway of the boarding house. The sun’s first light was barely peeking above the horizon, casting a soft glow through the windows of the hallway. Finally, she stepped out onto the front steps of the house and was amazed by the sight of the sun creeping out of the navy blue of the ocean. It was as if it had been swallowed by the brine and was escaping the depths of darkness. It was so beautiful. 

As she sat on the front steps in the midst of such a beautiful view, she thought of Kasamatsu. She knew he’d love a sight like that, so she decided to send him a picture of it. 

It doesn’t do it justice, but here’s a picture of my view right now.  
  


She didn’t expect a reply any time soon, so she put her phone away and leaned back on her hands. When she did so, she felt a presence behind her. The girl turned to find Takao, point guard of Shutoko’s basketball team. Upon being found, he grinned. 

“Looks like you had the same idea as me.”

He sat beside her and leaned his head in his hand. 

“What are you doing here?”

He faked a frown. “That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?”

Sighing, she nodded. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m just surprised to see you here when we’re at a training camp.”

“Actually, we’re here for a training camp too.” Mimicking her position and leaning back on his hands, Takao laughed. “It’s kinda ironic, isn’t it?”

She smiled. “Yeah, it is. We haven’t really been introduced, so I’m (l/n) (f/n). You can just call me (f/n).”

“Takao Kazunari.” Staring back at the sunrise, he pursed his lips. “You went to school with Shin-chan, right? What was he like back then?”

“He’s honestly the same as ever,” she laughed. “The first time I met him was at my first basketball practice, and he was my ‘mentor.’ I don’t think he was too happy about it. He’d frown every time I did something wrong, but that’s kinda his default expression. He came around to me after our first game together, I think. I’m a point guard at heart, and we just worked really well together. Off the court, he really never opened up to me. I always felt bad about that.”

Takao chuckled, his chin on his palm. “Seems like we’ve had the same experience with him. I think I’m getting him to open up a little, but he’s an enigma, that Shin-chan.”

“That he is. By the way, do you think everyone else knows we’re at the same camp yet? Or should we tell them?”

Before Takao could reply, Kagami’s voice rang through the dawn air. “Why’re you here?!” The two point guards started cackling at the distress in his voice. 

“I don’t get why he’s so mad about it. I think it’ll be fun.”

“Yeah,” agreed the girl. She wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them closer to her chest. “You know, you’re a lot nicer than I expected.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” 

(f/n) chuckled at Takao’s faux offense; his hand splayed on his heart really sealed the deal. “I don’t know if you remember, but the first thing you said to me was something along the lines of, ‘That was good, for a girl, but Shin-chan’s better.’”

Takao’s eyes got wide at the revelation of his idiot mouth. (f/n) could already see the gears turning in his mind trying to backtrack. “I’m sorry! I trash talk in games, and it’s kinda uncontrollable!”

The girl kept a serious face for a few seconds just to see the fear in his eyes, but she broke and started laughing. She really needed to work on her poker face. “It’s okay, Takao,” she rose to her feet and offered him a hand. He took it a bit apprehensively. “I just hope I proved myself to you.”

“Definitely. Honestly, I get it.”

As they stepped over the threshold of their temporary home, the (h/c) looked to her companion. “Get what?”

He smiled. It was real, no jest. “After watching you play, it’s obvious that you’re a part of the Generation of Miracles. They’re comprised of specific positions, and you’re the wild card. I like it.”

Before she could respond, a certain green eyed man spoke from their left. “Takao, it’s time for breakfast.” Then, his eyes fell upon his teammate’s company. “(f/n). Good morning.” His greeting was accompanied by his signature nod. 

“Hi, Shintarou. How’s it going?”

He sighed, pushing up his glasses. “There has already been too much yelling for this hour.”

(f/n) laughed. “Well, I hope breakfast puts you in a better mood. I’ll see you guys later.” Takao waved in response, falling into step behind his ace. Midorima was walking a little faster than normal. The ravenette chuckled, trying to keep up. 

As (f/n) made her way to breakfast, she felt her phone buzz in her hand. 

That’s beautiful. How’s the camp going so far?  
  


She smiled down at her phone, wondering what Kasamatsu was doing now that he was up. 

It’s going pretty great. I just found out Shutoku is having a training camp here too, which will be interesting. I’m sure Kagami’s not happy about it  
  


As she got closer to the dining room, she could hear her teammate’s voices growing in volume. When she turned into the doorway, everyone looked to her. 

“Where were you?”

“Just watching the sunrise.”

As she sat down beside Kiyoshi, Kagami questioned her. “Did you see Shutoku?” His mouth was full of his third serving. 

“Yeah. It seems like this week is gonna be fun.”

The redhead’s eyebrows furrowed in a determined glare. “Yeah, it is.”

Kiyoshi smiled that all encompassing smile, and (f/n) couldn’t help but return it. “They’ll be a good motivator. I haven’t felt this invigorated in a while.”

From across the table, Hyuga grinned. “You better be.” Beside him, Riko rose from her seat. “Where are you headed?”

She gathered her empty dishes and turned away from everyone. “Hm, somewhere…” And, without another word, she left the room in a whirl of excited energy. 

“She must be thinking up even more awful things for us to do…”

Ignoring the thought of more hard work, (f/n) started in on her breakfast, only to be interrupted by her phone vibrating. 

Knowing Kagami, he’s probably about to burst with pent up energy.  
  
Yeah, he seems pretty tense, but not in a bad way. I almost wish it was your team having the training camp here. It would be so much fun to practice with you  
  


* * *

Kasamatsu had just woken up from probably the best sleep of his life. Before he could force himself out of the heaven that was his bed, he’d heard his phone vibrate on his nightstand. The picture (f/n) had sent him stared back at him from the screen, the blue light causing him to rub his eyes in discomfort. Once he could really take it in, he realized just how beautiful the scenery was. The clouds were like curtains spreading to unveil the majesty that was the sun, their reflection on the ocean’s surface creating a colorful spectacle of light. 

Looking up from his phone, he realized just how bland his room was in comparison. There was no majesty in the blues surrounding him. He sighed. 

He wished he was with her. 

So, when she echoed his thoughts in the form of a text, he felt his heart contract. His hands stalled on the sides of his phone, his thumbs floating above the screen and his mind blank. Finally, his body decided to allow him to agree. 

It would be, but you might get discouraged by how many times I’d beat you.  
  
Talking to yourself?  
  


The phrase caused the point guard to be sent back to that first one on one match he had with the girl. It was the first time he truly felt comfortable with her, their banter permeating the air and making him feel at ease in himself. He was thankful for that day; without it, he didn’t know how their friendship would have progressed. 

Very original.  
  
I knowww. Thank you for giving me credit. I tried really hard with that one  
  


He could almost hear her laughter echoing in his mind. Deciding he was going crazy, he rose from his bed and decided to start the day with some laid back practice. He wondered what breakfast would look like for him. 

Have you had breakfast yet?  
  
Yeah, I’m actually eating now. Eggs, bacon, and rice. What about you?  
  
Not yet.  
  
Get on that, Cap. Don’t want you starving. When’s practice for you?  
  


He chuckled, pulling on a clean athletic shirt and some basketball shorts. Grabbing his sports bag and his phone, he headed downstairs. 

Starts at 12. Gonna practice on my own before that.  
  
On the ball as always. Mine starts at 9. We’re gonna be running in the sand again, which sucks but is also awesome  
  
How so?  
  


When he got to the base of the stairs, his nose picked up on pancakes. A grin formed on his face as he approached the kitchen; his mother returned it. Around the table were his brothers and father, their plates already full of his mother’s specialty breakfast. It wasn’t often that he was the last to rise, but summer break was an exception to his early bird mentality. Still, 8 was a good time to start the day. 

“What’s the grin for?” asked his mother, her hands busy with plating. Before he could answer, Jiro cut in. 

“He’s probably texting his girlfriend again.”

Honestly, people shouldn’t be allowed to make his face that hot that early. He could hear giggling as he took his plate from his mom’s hands, his face uncontrollably becoming redder with each passing second. 

“So she’s finally your girlfriend?”

His mother’s words hit his ears like a punch to the face. 

“Huh? No, no, she’s not my girlfriend.”

His face got even hotter when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Steeling himself, he sat down beside his father, his mother following close behind him. 

“Oh, that’s a shame. How is (f/n), by the way?”

“She’s doing good. She’s at a basketball camp right now, actually.”

“I’m glad,” his mother smiled. “I hope she comes to visit soon.”

“Me too.”

After he finished his breakfast, Kasamatsu excused himself, grabbing his bag and walking out the front door. He hadn’t always practiced at the park; he used to prefer the small court in his backyard. He’d actually only started that this year. If he hadn’t, he wondered if he’d be so close to (f/n). 

It seemed like everything hinged on that day at the park. 

It’s terrible while it’s happening, but I feel so great afterwards. Plus it’s gonna strengthen my legs. Riko’s decided to make Kagami and I run for most of practice for that reason  
  
I get that. Hopefully, after this, you’ll never collapse again.  
  
Don’t mention that.  
  
Why?  
  
We’re forgetting it even happened  
  


He laughed, his shoes coming into contact with the court of his local park. 

If you say so.  
  



	26. Author's Note

Hi! As you may have noticed, I've taken a break from this story. In truth, I haven't written a new chapter since the beginning of this year. In the meantime, I've been writing an Attack on Titan fanfiction, and I've sort of upped the ante with my writing. Because of that story, I've realized that I want to take more time to form relationships with my writing, and it's made me realize I didn't do so for any of the other characters in Years. Because of this, I'm thinking of going back and rewriting most of the story so it can go further. Obviously, it will still follow the events of the show, but I really want to add more fresh content in between to truly make this story mine. But, I just don't know if I should go back and edit them here, or post an entire new story and start fresh so people can still go back to this one? I'm just not sure. Either way, I'm not giving up on this story, so expect an update soon, whether that be a complete overhaul of the story here or a new post in general. Thank you so much for reading! <3


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